First step: Find the breakthrough that's hiding in plain sight.E*Trade was a backroom-processing app until the company used the Web to market it directly to the public.
Genius is said to involve much more perspiration than inspiration, and thus delivering on a great idea demands more than a bold stroke of innovation. Anyone aspiring to create the Next Big Thing needs to plan carefully for success, according to the new book, Breakthrough! A 7-Step System for Developing Unexpected and Profitable Ideas (Amacom/Available now). Authors Paul Kurnit and Steve Lance avoid any pretense of being able to magically transform readers into brilliant idea-generators. Instead, they work on demystifying the concept of the breakthrough, illustrating that research, strategy and execution are just as critical as the actual idea. The authors demonstrate that everyday people in any organization can add unique value simply by looking at the way things are, and taking the steps to create something better. Kurnit is a marketing professor at Pace University who has worked on campaigns for Crest, American Express and Transformers. Lance is a 30-year veteran of advertising and marketing. For more information about the book, click here.