Tell 'em a story

Innovation is all about trying to convince others — people to help develop your idea, sponsors to back you, markets to buy in to your great new thing. So it makes sense to spend time and effort crafting a tale which will draw them in, intrigue them, capture their attention. Of course you don't want to oversell but as long as you've done your homework and the foundations are firm you’ll benefit from creating your particular version of a castle in the air….

Which is the message I’m trying to get across in the latest instalment of my project to capture the key lessons of innovation and entrepreneurship in the form of a song….

You can listen to it here… or You can watch it on my YouTube channel here

Here are the lyrics:

Pitch perfect….. Releasing the power of your innovation, unlocking the value in your idea It’s never ever automatic, it won’t just magically appear It’s a long and winding journey, experiment as you go Assemble information, find out what you don’t know Put it all together, use a canvas or checklist Make sure you’ve got what’s needed, it’s all there, nothing missed?

What’s your value proposition, the market that you’re aiming for? What’s your plan for how to reach them, who can help you open up the doors? What else will you need to help your great idea survive Resources, operations, how to make it come alive? Don’t forget the money, how the cash goes out and in And keep that all in balance or it all goes in the bin

Chorus You’d think that after all this effort, making your business plan secure Offering the world the next better mousetrap, they’re gonna beat a path to your front door

But you’d be wrong, for one good reason, great ideas don’t sell themselves It’s all about communication, not canvases or business plans on shelves People listen to a story, that’s what shapes why they adopt Give them something to believe in, tell a story that is hot Get them believing, feeling, caring about what you’re trying to do Cos if they believe your story, then they’ll believe in you

Chorus Don’t expect that after all your effort, making your business plan secure Offering the world the next better mousetrap, they’re gonna beat a path to your front door

You still need a firm foundation, a business plan filled with detail But you also need to get attention, without that you’re going to fail You want supporters, you need sponsors, want your market to buy -in? Tell ’em how you’ll solve their problem, how you take away their pain Wrap it up inside a story, paint a picture, make it real Give them more than facts and figures, give them something they can feel!

Chorus Then if you’ve really done that hard work, making your business plan the best The world will start to pay attention, and your innnovation’s gonna do the rest!