It's a Small World After All
Father of Innovation
Many of our nation's best innovations were born in the minds
of entrepreneurs. In fact, large corporations have long
acknowledged—even mimicked—the innovative spirit
that's alive and well in smaller companies. Just ask Jack
Gordon, 52, who blazed new trails with AcuPoll, a company he
started specifically to help clients innovate. The Cincinnati-based
market research firm predicts whether a new product will be a
triumph or a turkey, whether an ad campaign becomes a favorite or
quickly forgotten. Clients have ranged from The Coca-Cola Company
and Pepsi-Co Inc. to NASCAR and Procter & Gamble. Some of the
products AcuPoll has had a hand in developing include the Oral-B
Indicator toothbrush, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and
Bioré's deep-cleansing pore strips. Through it all, Gordon has come to learn a thing or two about
innovation. When he first started the company in 1990, market
research wasn't what it is today. "Companies that wanted
to innovate would come up with three or four ideas," recalls
Gordon. "And this was at a time when 80 to 85 percent of the
products being introduced were failing in the
marketplace." So Gordon's company, which has offices worldwide and just
under 100 employees, devised a way to test-market 40 ideas at
once—10 times the number clients were typically bringing
in—and to compile and analyze the data for the client within
seven days, versus the typical six to eight weeks. Now, AcuPoll
brings in $10 million in annual revenues. Content Continues Below
Why are small businesses so successful at innovation?
They're usually close enough to their employees to ask for help
in coming up with ideas, says Alan G. Robinson, co-author of
Corporate Creativity and the
just-released Ideas Are Free, both from
Berrett-Koehler Publishers. With a system to seek out innovation,
such as funneling creativity from employees, Robinson says,
"the odds become a reality." Of course, part of the trick of understanding innovation is to
know when you see it. As Gordon tells his clients, while the market
has to be there, "you also [need] something new and different.
Let's say you have a new detergent, and it goes against Tide.
When it comes time for the consumer to give up their Tide and pick
up your product, why would they? You need something extra."
Fortunately for many U.S. companies and consumers that want to be
on the edge of innovation, AcuPoll has exactly that: something
extra. A Small
Gathering
Get ready to celebrate
with the SBA. Your spouse or significant other probably won't send a card.
Your parents probably won't call. Your friends aren't
likely to take you out to dinner or to a movie. As a whole, the
country never seems to really notice the 41-year-old holiday known
as National Small Business Week the way they do Christmas,
Thanksgiving and even Arbor Day. But no matter. The SBA obviously
cares, because it's throwing its annual party in Orlando,
Florida, at the Orange County Convention Center from May 19 to 21.
Those interested in attending should visit www.sba.gov/50 or call
(202) 205-8414. And if you can't make up your mind until the
last minute, you can register the day of the event, provided it
isn't sold out. Prices are $325 before April 17, $350 between
April 18 and April 30, and $400 after that. The three-day
extravaganza will include a business expo, a business matchmaking
event, business seminars, a town hall meeting, and award ceremonies
honoring women entrepreneurs as well as state and national
small-business winners.
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