The real secret to innovation is time. Time to think, refine, develop, market and test.
And time is one thing we just do not have very much of anymore. And as we get larger with greater revenues there is less and less discretionary time available to us.
We now have a team of consultants to keep active and earning. Our primary concern has always been sales, but with a growing team and a model relying on selling daylight hours, (days really) the pressure is really on to get more sales, more often, and keep the pipeline full. At all times keep the pipeline full.
The time it takes to be innovative is being used to keep the momentum up.
If you want to be more creative and more innovative then the first thing you need to do is free up additional discretionary time. Time where you can ponder and think. Separating the model from selling billable hours only is key.
Subscription services, membership fees, IP to leverage in the marketplace through licensing, whatever. Any and all tactics are welcomed as means of pushing the voracious appetite for activity away from survival and into thriving.
Time is the basis of innovation, in fact you will probably get more innovative with your business model just trying to deliver yourself additional time.
