One key insight that stuck with me from last week's readings is the fact that stakeholders, especially potential funders, appreciate feeling needed and helpful in the creative process. While, from a distance and in the abstract, this seems rather obvious, it is much harder to accomplish as an entrpreneur in action. This recommendation to engage and partner with others in the process is also mentioned in this week's readings as one of the important steps to building a lasting business model (SAP did this well by acquiring firms that complimented their skills).
Another, similar insight from this week's reading is that innovation can sometimes simply mean making a part of a product or service (its purchase, use, or disposal) more fun (among other such improvements). A contemporary example is Volkswagen's 'Fun theory' experiment on the simple service of stairs versus escalators. People seem to generally choose things that are fun over boring or ordinary alternatives.
I see these two points being intertwined: engaging stakeholders in the creative process and leveraging the value of fun. Perhaps the greatest evidence of these being a successful mix for aspiring entrepreneurs is the crowd-funding trend led by Rocket Hub. Who knew that funding a venture, anything from a dance performance to a video game, could be so much fun? Crowdfunding brings together the engagement in the creative process, the social dimension of belonging to a group with similar passions, and the fun of seeing the project take off from someone's garage to the New York Times.
I am reflecting on how to integrate this cool trend and the need for stakeholder involvement and fun into my idea. I think it's a salient lesson for all of us. Let me know if you have any interesting ideas on how to do this!
Another, similar insight from this week's reading is that innovation can sometimes simply mean making a part of a product or service (its purchase, use, or disposal) more fun (among other such improvements). A contemporary example is Volkswagen's 'Fun theory' experiment on the simple service of stairs versus escalators. People seem to generally choose things that are fun over boring or ordinary alternatives.
I see these two points being intertwined: engaging stakeholders in the creative process and leveraging the value of fun. Perhaps the greatest evidence of these being a successful mix for aspiring entrepreneurs is the crowd-funding trend led by Rocket Hub. Who knew that funding a venture, anything from a dance performance to a video game, could be so much fun? Crowdfunding brings together the engagement in the creative process, the social dimension of belonging to a group with similar passions, and the fun of seeing the project take off from someone's garage to the New York Times.
I am reflecting on how to integrate this cool trend and the need for stakeholder involvement and fun into my idea. I think it's a salient lesson for all of us. Let me know if you have any interesting ideas on how to do this!
Courtney: How about a fun game where you have statues representing the countries between which your money is moved? Carrier pigeons fly between them making 'deposits' I'm picturing pigeons flying from the Statue of liberty to another landmark in Senegal.....A custodian (designated charity) cleans up the statue, readying it for the next 'deposit'?
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