If you want what may be the simplest innovation process, here it is: Find the things that others are not doing well, or just not doing. Once you identify these deficiencies, design a better service or product based on what customers really want. Then sell it.
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For example, there was an article in Forbes magazine recently on a Japanese company called Kumon that teaches kids around the world how to read and write and do basic math. They have over a thousand centers in the United States alone, with 194,000 students. They do almost no advertising, yet keep growing rapidly.
Now, you might wonder why with universal public education in the U.S. a Japanese company can do so well teaching the basics. The answer is simple enough: The public schools don’t do it very well in many places. Blame it on modern educational theories, “feel good” grading, distracted children or whatever, but the public system doesn’t do as good a job as parents would like. Many of them are willing to pay the relatively small amount it takes to get their kids educated properly (Kumon charges less than $120 per two-month course).
Some just want their kids to get further ahead. The federal No Child Left Behind Act pushes schools to spend resources on low-scoring students, so potential high achievers don’t get as much help as they might. Kumon teaches math without calculators, phonetic reading, and essentially stresses rote learning of the basics. Whatever they are doing, it seems to work. Read the rest of this entry »