Blog
The Value of Incremental Innovation
A good portion of my day is spent working with small businesses, especially bricks and mortar stores, on how to compete and stay ahead of the curve in a time when change is so rapid. But there is a lot of resistance to being the first to jump off the cliff and try...
What I’ve Learned as an Innovation Keynote Speaker
For the past five years I've worked with corporations and associations as an innovation keynote speaker. The speeches are very interactive with the audience, with games and improv, so no two are ever the same. I've worked with children's hospitals,...
Innovation Lessons Companies Can Learn From the Pilgrims
A pilgrim is someone who makes a long and difficult journey. As an inventor and innovator I have definitely found that journey to be a rough and rocky one, that has never gone as planned, and I've learned a lot of innovation lessons along the way. For the 102...
Inventor’s Spotlight – Woman Inventor – Margaret Knight
I'll never forget the day I got a call from someone who was shocked that a woman had invented the wrist water bottle. We should be so far beyond that in our society, but the fact that fewer than 15% of all patents are issued to women proves that we still have a long...
Maximize Innovation With a Creative Office Space
What do flowers, plants and waterfalls have to do with innovation? A lot, according to an eight month study conducted by Texas A & M University. The study found that offices that included plants, flowers and waterfalls caused women to become more flexible and...
Inventor’s Spotlight – Frederick Walton
It's hard to image that at one time people walked on bare boards in their homes. Rugs had been around for centuries, but a mass-produced, easy to clean floor covering didn't exist until the mid 1800's. That was until British inventor, Frederick Walton, invented and...
Women Scientists and Engineers as Inventors
The first creativity workshop I ever put on was for a group of women engineers. Years later I'm still an innovation keynote speaker for many conferences of engineers and scientists. They're not only able to come up with great ideas, but they also know how to make...
Innovative Sales Rep Turned Accidental Inventor
Invention ideas can come from a variety of places. Sometimes inventions are forced by sheer necessity, and sometimes they happen purely by accident. Door-to-door salesman Edwin Cox became an accidental inventor after coming up with an innovative sales technique...
Inventors Spotlight – Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is best known for the Gettysburg Address and for abolishing slavery, but did you know he is also the only President to be an inventor and patent holder? In 1849 he filed a patent for a device that would help lift riverboats over sandbars, and two...