fbpx

 

 

35 Years of Helping Organizations Innovate

Who We Help

Innovation is not just for companies, but for all types of organizations.
Every organization is different and we adapt our approaches to best fit each one.
Below we highlight some differences in our approach and process based on the type of organization. 

These differences between organizations are not always the case but tend to be true in our experience of helping a diverse set of companies innovate over the past 35 years. For more specific advice for your organization, consider leveraging our free innovation assessment that measures your systems and innovation culture. 

Large Companies

Organizations with over $1 billion in revenue

Bigger Ideas. Larger companies tend to be looking for bigger ideas. Ideas that can impact their total sales. We invest more in research, insights, and technology scouting upfront. We spend more time inventing to have an abundance of ideas and possibilities to explore before vetting opportunities for the biggest impacts.
The project will stop because they are not big enough not because they don’t have an ROI or require too much time or investment.
Short-term goal. Objectives are usually big wins in short time periods. Willing to invest in outside help that drives success rather than starting with building internal culture and capabilities. 

New Markets.  More interested in an idea that creates a new industry or category rather than disrupts their current industry. This is because they are typically already one of the leaders in their current market and don’t want to cannibalize current sales. 

Less alignment and more silos. Larger companies can have more complicated internal structures that we have to navigate. This means more planning meetings upfronts with a strong emphasis on objectives and alignment. Ideally we breakdown silos, but more often large companies are less likely to change their entire innovation system, but are willing to temporarily work around it to accelerate success 

 

How we can help large corporations and brands

Eureka! Inventing: Online or In-person

Leverage our experience and process to generate an abundance of big ideas to meet your innovation objectives. We facilitate the entire front-end of the innovation process from strategy to insights, to ideation, to business opportunity recommendation.
Learn More

Project Acceleration

Rapid learning cycles to accelerate the development of your innovations.
Learn More

Innovation Engineering Courses with Certification

Learn the skills needed to manage innovation and improve systems for innovation at your organization.
Learn More

Some Current & Past Clients

Midsize Companies

$10 million to $1 billion Organizations

Market Competition. When partnering with midsize companies the objective is often to leverage innovation as a way to compete against other companies of similar size or overtake market share from a larger company in their space. This results in a large number of innovations for new solutions that are incrementally better than an existing solution. Our role is to capture all those incremental ideas, but also push for bigger, more disruptive ideas that they would not have created on their own.  For incremental innovations, we test against established industry offerings to validate ideas for development.  

Long-term vision.  Accelerating one idea is great but midsize company leaders are more interested in a full pipeline of ideas that sustain their organization long-term. We focus more on improvements in their innovation systems that drive success rather than individual ideas or projects. We also improve strategic alignment so innovation projects support both long-term strategy and short-term objectives. 

Market Disruption. While there is often more focus on incremental innovation with mid-size companies, the ones who want to see the most growth are willing to disrupt their industry with more radical innovation. They have less fear about the cannibalization of current revenue streams and believe they will financially benefit from higher margins associated with being first to market and leading their industry. However, they can lack confidence in their ability to innovate and rely on our expertise and systems for commercializing innovations that have high risk and don’t align with their current development processes. 

Education and Collaboration. Smaller companies have fewer resources and a more do-it-yourself attitude. Success with innovation will require either more collaboration with experts or educating their team with the skills they need to innovate. We have flexibility in our approach to match what approach has the best odds of success for each company. 

 

How we can help mid-size organizations

Eureka! Inventing: Online or In-person

Leverage our experience and process to generate an abundance of ideas for improving products or services, reaching more customers, disrupting your industry, or improving your systems.
Learn More

Innovation Strategy, Project Management and Acceleration

Implement a long-term strategy for innovation success that grows your business. Build a system for managing innovation including a reliable method for measuring risk and value from your innovation projects. Get ideas to market up to 6 times faster than your current development process.
Learn More

Innovation Engineering Courses with Certification

Learn the skills needed to innovate and improve systems for innovation at your organization. Professional development options are available for all levels of employees from the front line to executive leadership. Courses are taught by experienced innovation practitioners who give individual coaching to each student while they apply the skills to real work at your organization.   Learn More

Some Current & Past Clients

Regulated Industries

Utilities,  Alcohol, Financial Institutions

Utilities. Innovation in the utility industry is an ongoing and ever-evolving process, with new challenges and opportunities arising as technology and customer needs evolve. It’s important for utility companies to continuously monitor and adapt to market changes and technological advancements to stay competitive and innovative. 

Drugs and Alcohol. The development and approval of drugs and alcohol products is heavily regulated by various government agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). These regulations are in place to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs and alcohol products, but they can also make the innovation process more difficult and time-consuming. Overall regulations must be accounted for in our constraints and development time. If there are pricing regulations, then our profitability and business model options are effected as well. 

Financial Institutions. Financial companies must comply with a wide range of regulations and oversight, including those from agencies such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Reserve. This can be a significant burden for companies, particularly when it comes to developing and implementing new products and services. There are also regulations for cybersecurity, capital requirements, consumer protection, and privacy that we are happy to adhere to while accelerating innovation within the organization. 

How we can help regulated industries

Eureka! Inventing: Online or In-person

Tackle your biggest challenges with a fresh perspective. Leverage our experience and process to generate an abundance of possible solutions.
Learn More

Innovation Engineering Courses with Certification

Learn the skills needed to manage innovation and improve systems for innovation at your organization. Become the innovation expert in your industry to make meaningful changes amongst constraining regulations.
Learn More

Systems Improvement Projects

Sometimes the most meaningful changes you can make in a regulated industry are on how you work, not what you sell.
Learn More

Some past and current clients in regulated industries

Non-Profits

Large National or Global Organizations

Mission Focused. When partnering with a non-profit to accelerate innovation, success is measured by the extent we achieve the organization’s mission. There are still financial components as some innovations will aim to drive more donations, fundraising, grants etc. that help the cause. 

Progress & Improvement Focused. There is rarely a close competitor that we are trying to out-innovate or gain a competitive advance over.  Without a direct competitor, we tend to benchmark success over their own past performance and seek to see significant improvements in performance versus the past. 

More Constraints. Legally there are constants to how non-profits can raise money and spend money that are accounted for during ideation and development. All organizations have constraints, but non-profits tend to have more rules and regulations that make change and innovation more challenging. These constraints to not prohibit innovation, especially when we make them visible and have alignment on what we can and cannot do.  

More Stakeholders. Stakeholders include people who benefit from their work or contribute to the work such as beneficiaries, donors, and volunteers. Overall spending that is not directly impacting the mission such as investments in innovation can be scrutinized more by some stakeholders. We work with non-profits to develop clear financial forecasts of ROI and project value for every project.

 

How we can help non-profit organizations

Eureka! Ideas: Online or In-person

Leverage our experience and process to generate an abundance of ideas for making a bigger impact on society.
Learn More

Innovation Strategy, Management and Metrics

Build a system for managing innovation including a reliable method for measuring risk and impacts from your innovation projects.
Learn More

Innovation Engineering Courses with Certification

Learn the skills needed to manage innovation and improve systems for innovation at your organization.
Learn More

Some Past and Current Non-Profit Clients

Public Sector

Local to National Government Organizations

Impact Focused. While working with public sector organizations our objectives are more focused on improving the impacts they are making on society or achieving policy goals. The organization can still financially benefit from innovation, but success comes from driving the mission further, not profit margins.

Risk Adverse. The public sector tends to have less tolerance for any negative consequences.
Where some companies embrace the mindset of 2 steps back, to leap forward, the public sector looks more like baby steps. Smaller incremental innovations that add up over time are key to our success. Managing a pipeline of innovative ideas with clear metrics for risk and impact. 

More Stakeholders. The innovation projects have to please more people and more groups in order to gain support and be successful. When starting innovation projects we communicate benefits to all stakeholders (Elected officials, taxpayers, interest groups, etc.). We don’t have to win or please everyone all the time, but we need to be aware of which stakeholders will support and advocate for the innovation and which can oppose or block it.

How we can help public sector organizations

Eureka! Ideas: Online or In-person

Leverage our experience and process to generate an abundance of ideas for making a bigger impact on society.
Learn More

Innovation Strategy, Management and Metrics

Build a system for managing innovation including a reliable method for measuring risk and impacts from your innovation projects.
Learn More

Innovation Engineering Courses with Certification

Learn the skills needed to manage innovation and improve systems for innovation at your organization.
Learn More

Some past and current clients

University Partners

Accredited Educational Institutions

Expert Instructors. We train your professors, instructors, and faculty who then educate students on campus or online. 

Cycles to Mastery System. We leverage our patented Cycles to Mastery approach to educate all students through videos, lab assignments, and application work. 

How we can help universities

Innovation Engineering Courses

Teach students Innovation Engineering courses for college credit.
Learn More

Some past and current partners

Testimonials and Reflections

“This is a grueling, mind-melting, confidence-shaking experience for anyone who thinks she already knows how to innovate. Know-it-alls, be prepared to be humbled.”

TORI BRITTON
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
WEBSTER ATLANTIC CORPORATION

“It was the single most important learning opportunity in my professional career.”

GARTH CORMIER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
LIGHTHOUSE WEB SOLUTIONS

“PRACTICAL STUFF. Worth it’s weight and price 1000X over. It’s as important for companies at $1 million as at $1 billion. Credible because it’s supported with a ton of VERY HARD Data.”

TOM PETERS
AUTHOR

35 Years of Helping Organizations Innovate

Client List

Over the years, organizations of all sizes have used our expertise and methods to grow their people, fill their pipelines, accelerate innovation projects, and transform their culture.  Below is a sampling of the organizations that you might recognize.

  • 1848 Ventures
  • 3M
  • 4iiii
  • 84.51
  • ABC Television
  • ACCI
  • Alliance Data
  • Alliance for Children & Families
  • American Express
  • American Express Small Business Services
  • American Marketing Association
  • Ameritech
  • AMIG
  • Amurol Confections
  • Anheuser-Busch
  • AOL
  • Apple Processors Association
  • AT&T Calling Card Services
  • AT&T Internet Services
  • Avon Products
  • Babson College
  • Baldwin Wallace University
  • Bank of America
  • Barber Foods
  • Barilla
  • Basic American Foods
  • Batesville Casket
  • Bayer
  • Bel Kaukana
  • Best Buy
  • Binney & Smith
  • BioLab
  • Blockbuster
  • Bob Evans
  • Borden
  • Bosch
  • BOSE
  • Boston Market
  • Brain Brew Custom Whiskey
  • Bullshooter
  • Bush Brothers & Company
  • Butterball
  • Cadbury Schweppes
  • Campbell Soup
  • Campbell Taggert
  • CapitalOne
  • Cascades
  • Catfish Candy
  • Celestial Seasonings
  • Centocor
  • Century Arms
  • Cervélo Cycles
  • Chase Bank (formerly Bank One)
  • Chattem Consumer Products
  • Chrysler
  • Cincinnati Art Museum
  • Cincinnati Bell
  • Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
  • Cincinnati Symphony
  • Cincom
  • Cintas
  • Citrix Online
  • CLE Leads
  • Club Car
  • Coca-Cola
  • College Board
  • Comcast Cellular
  • Compaq
  • Congressman Rob Portman
  • Continental Baking
  • Coors Brewing Company
  • Coppertone
  • Covidien
  • Crayola
  • Dairy Queen
  • DAP
  • Darden Business School
  • Digital Equipment Corporation
  • Disney Development Company
  • Disney Institute
  • Dow Brands
  • Dreyer’s
  • Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
  • DRS Technologies, Inc.
  • dunnhumby
  • Duquesne University
  • Duracell
  • ebay
  • Energy USA
  • Ethicon Endo-Surgery
  • Eveready Battery Company
  • EyeMed Vision Care
  • Federated
  • Fidelity Investments
  • First USA
  • First Energy
  • Flexible Products
  • Folgers Coffee Company
  • Ford Motor Company
  • ForeThought
  • Fortis Health
  • Foster Farms
  • Frito-Lay
  • Gardetto’s
  • Gatorade
  • Gebauer Company
  • Gerber
  • G&J Pepsi Bottling
  • Givaudan
  • Give Kids the World
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • GO Interactive
  • GOJO
  • Graftech
  • Green Giant
  • GTE Directory Services
  • Hamilton Beach
  • Healthy Directions
  • Hershey
  • Heublein
  • Hewlett-Packard
  • High Liner Foods
  • Hillenbrand Industries
  • Hillshire Kahns
  • Humana
  • Hussmann Corporation
  • IMS Health
  • Infantino
  • Innovation Network Members
  • International Data Group
  • International Truck and Engine
  • James River
  • Jergens
  • Jeyes
  • Jif
  • John Hancock
  • Johnny Walker
  • John Morrell Meats
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • JP Morgan Chase
  • Keebler
  • Kellogg’s
  • Key Bank
  • Kimberly Clark
  • Kodak
  • Kraft General Foods
  • L-3
  • Labatt’s
  • LCI
  • Lego
  • Lifesavers
  • Lincoln Electric
  • Lipton
  • Lockheed Martin
  • M&M/Mars
  • March of Dimes
  • Marketing Intelligence Service
  • Mattel
  • McGraw-Hill
  • Medeco Security Lock
  • Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Mercury Boats
  • Miller
  • Minnesota Power
  • Miricles in Sight
  • Molson
  • Monroe Shocks and Struts
  • Monsanto
  • Montgomery Inn
  • Morningstar Foods
  • MotorUP
  • Nabisco
  • National City
  • National Leukemia Society
  • National Retail Federation
  • National Wildlife Federation
  • NiSource
  • NBA
  • Nestle
  • Newell Office products
  • Nike
  • Ocean Spray
  • Ohio Credit Union League
  • OPW
  • Payless Shoes
  • Parker Brothers
  • Pennzoil
  • Pepsi-Cola
  • Permatex
  • Pillsbury
  • Pizza Hut
  • Planters
  • Play Power
  • Playtex Family Products
  • Pon
  • Pop-Tarts
  • Pringles
  • Procter & Gamble
  • Publisher’s Clearing House
  • Quaker Oats
  • Ralston Purina
  • Random House
  • Reckitt-Benckiser
  • Reynolds Metals
  • Roche Diagnostics
  • Rubbermaid
  • Rust-Oleum
  • Schering Plough
  • Schlumberger
  • SC Johnson
  • Scott’s Lawn Care
  • Seagrams
  • Sears
  • SEIMENS
  • Servatii’s Pastry Shop
  • Sherwin Williams
  • Simmon’s
  • Slush Puppie
  • Smith Kline Beecham
  • Snapple
  • SNET
  • Solaris
  • Southern States
  • Southwestern Bell
  • Stamps.com
  • Steris
  • Sweetheart Cup
  • TGIFridays
  • Tall Stacks
  • Teach for America
  • Tennant
  • Tenneco Automotive
  • Tempur-Sealy International
  • Tesco
  • The Edrington Group
  • The HoneyBaked Ham Company
  • The Kellen Company
  • The Polk Company
  • The Wooster Brush Company
  • Thomas J. Lipton
  • Toyota
  • Trek Bicycle Corporation
  • Triarc Beverages
  • Trident Seafood
  • Tyson
  • Tyson Food Service
  • Unilever
  • United Way
  • University of Maine
  • University of Minnesota
  • US West
  • U.S. House of Representative – House Budget Committee
  • Van den Bergh Foods
  • Van Melle Candy
  • Versant Health
  • Vision Ease
  • Visteon Automotive
  • Vlassic Foods
  • Walker Mufflers
  • Walmart
  • Walt Disney Consumer Products
  • Walt Disney Home Video
  • Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Waste Management
  • Welch’s
  • Western Publishing
  • Western Union
  • Wingspanbank.com
  • Worksite Lighting
  • Wright Express
  • YMCA
  • Young Entrepreneurs Organization Members
  • Young Presidents Organization Members

Industry & Category List

Our versatility allows us to work effectively with a variety of industries by fully understanding and catering to the unique needs and requirements of each industry we collaborate with.

AdhesivesCookiesHigher-Ed AdministrationsPoultry Products
Adult Body CleansersCooking OilsHome AppliancesPR Strategies
Adult CandyCorporate PartnershipsHome SecurityPre-paid Funeral Policies
Adult Education ServicesCredit Card ServicesHome Video ProductionsPremium Liquors
Adult Leadership DevelopmentCredit UnionsHot CerealsPrepared Side Dishes
Adult Skin CareCremation UrnsHousehold CleansersPro Basketball Shoes
AeroponicsCustom CabinetsHousehold PlasticsProfessional Sports Mkt.
Aerospace MaterialsDatabase DesignHydroponicsPromotions Strategies
AgricultureDecorative TileIce Cream and DessertsPublishers
Air FiltersDeli MeatsIndustrial Diagnostic ServicesReady-to-Eat Meals
Allergy Care ProductsDesktop ComputersIndustrial FarmingRestaurant Concepts
Alternative Energy GenerationDiagnostic ToolsIndustrial LocksRestaurants
AnalgesicsDigital PhotographyIndustrial OilRetail
Animal FeedDirect MarketingIndustrial PlasticsRunning Shoes
AntiperspirantsDistilled BeveragesIndustrial SanitationSafety Auditing
AquaponicsDog Foods, SnacksInfant ProductsSalty Snacks
Art MuseumsDrink Mixes and SpiritsInformation ServicesSandwich Breads
Art SuppliesEducational BooksInsect RepellentsSanitizing Products
Audio TechnologyEducational StandardsInstant CoffeeSatellite Television
AuditingEducational ToysInternational Food ProcessingScotch-Whiskey
Auto Emergency ProductsElectric Utility ServicesInternet ServicesSea Food Production
Automobile OilElectrical SystemsInvestment ServicesSeasonal Candies
Baby Feeding SystemsElectronicsJuice DrinksSenior Products
Baby Skin CareEnergy DistributionKids CandyShipping and Receiving
Baby SuppliesEnergy ProductionKids CerealsShocks & Struts
BakeryEngine Oil AdditivesKids Soaps/ShampoosSkin Products
BankingEnrollment ProgramsKids ToysSliced Meat
Barbecue SaucesExpandable FoamLandscaping ProductsSmall Business Services
BatteriesEyeglassesLaptop ComputersSmart Cards/Services
Beef ProductsFabric TreatmentsLaundry SoapSmartphones
Beer  PositioningFacial CleansersLife InsuranceSnack Mixes
Beer Packaging ConceptsFacial MoisturizersLocal FarmingSoap and Body Wash
Beer ProductsFamily GamesLocal Non-ProfitsSoup Mix
Bike ToursFarm EquipmentLocks/Security SystemsSpices & Seasonings
Biodegrable ProductsFast Food ProductionLong Distance Phone ServicesSports Apparel
BiotechnologyFast Food RestaurantsLunch MeatsSports Drinks
Board GamesFast Food SystemsMalt BeveragesStandardized Testing
Boating - MotorFeminine ProductsMarket ResearchState Government
Boating - SailingFilm PhotographyMarketing DesignStock Market
Boats and Boat RetailingFilm ProductionMarketing ServicesSuper Premium Charge Cards
Book WritingFinancial ServicesMedical Info SystemsSurface Cleaning Equipment
Bottled Coffee & TeasFine Arts ServicesMemorial ProductsSwimming Instruction
Boxed ChocolatesFish FarmingMetal ProcessingSymphony Orchestras
Breakfast FoodsFleet Payment ProcessingMicrobrew BeerTablet Computers
Burial  CasketsFood Preparation AidsMufflers (OEM & AM)Teas of all sorts
Business CommunicationsFood Quality DiagnosticsMunicipal GovernmentTechnology Usage Exploratory
Business InsuranceFood Service ProductsNational Non-ProfitsTeen Health & Beauty
Business Research ServicesFood Service PromotionsNew Adult BeveragesTeen Skin Care
Business SchoolsFood Storage BagsNew Age BeveragesTelecommunications Services
Butters and SpreadsFoot Care ProductsNew Breakfast FoodsTelecommunications Technology
CandyFootwareNew CarsTerm Life Insurance
Canister SnacksFrozen EntreesNew Trucks and S.U.V.'sTextbooks
Canned FoodsFrozen Food ProductionNon-Carbonated Soft DrinksTheme Park Entertainment
Car Care ProductsFrozen VegetablesNuclear Power GenerationToilet Paper
Carbonated Soft DrinksFruit BeveragesNutritional SupplementsToothbrushes and Toothpaste
Card GamesFruit JuicesO.T.C. DrugsTopical Analgesics
Cat Foods, Snacks, TreatsFunctional FoodsOff Season Sales EffortsTrash Processing
Chambers of CommerceFunctional Paint ProductsOnline AdvertisingTravelers Checks
Charity FundraisingFurnitureOnline Banking ServicesTV Promotions
Children's CharitiesGardening ProductsOnline Barter ServicesUnited States Congress
Children's Hair CareGourmet BreadsOnline Postage ServicesUnited States House of Representatives
Children's ToysGourmet CoffeeOnline Security SystemsUnited States Senate
ChipsGov't. BudgetingPaintUsed Cars
ChocolateGround CoffeePaper Cups, PlatesVacation Resorts
Cleaning ProductsHand SoapPaper ProductionValve Manufacturing
CoffeeHealth BeveragesPastry ShopVibration Instruments
Cold and Cough ProductsHealth FoodsPay Phones/SystemsWaste Disposal
Cold CerealsHealthcare DataPeanuts and Peanut ButterWax Products
College TestingHealthcare ProvidersPest ControlWildlife Protection
Community OrganizingHealthy SnacksPharmaceuticalsWireless Communications
Concept Car InteriorsHerbal MedicinesPicklesWireless Communications
Concept CarsHerbal TeasPlastic KitchenwareWireless Technology
Construction Info. ServicesHigh-Temperature SensorsPlayground EquipmentWomen's Health Care
Construction ToysHigher Education InstitutionsPork ProductsYouth Leadership Development