Network Solutions - Small business conversations and working together for small business success

Jeff Crites & Open Innovation

When Jeff Crites connected with me on Facebook I was intrigued by his deep interest in Open Innovation. His business also focuses on the importance of small business having a presence online.

Last week Jeff shared his ideas on why he sees open innovation as the future.

Connie: How did your background lead you into social media?

Jeff: I had a career in radio from early to mid 90’s & worked my way up. I was creative & always looking for the next thing & I could see how radio was changing with the advent of the rise of the internet.

Connie: What changes did you see?

Jeff: As a radio producer we sent & received audio by reels in a box; then on cd’s & still mailing them; & finally we were emailing mp3 files.

When I got involved with satellite radio, I fell in love with web 1.0. Then as I worked thru Y2K I was fascinated with Yahoo, Cisco, & Dell. I realized how the internet was changing the face of business.

Connie: What was the tipping point to shift you into social media?

Jeff: I operated a website & worked with the community doing podcasting. Fourteen months ago “Radio left me” and I transitioned into social media full time.

An article in Business 2.0 magazine sparked my attention. The article in the Oct 05 issue focused on how companies tap into consumer passion. Everything clicked for me. The question was: How are companies going to find their brand enthusiasts & connect with them? So I started blogging at www.consumerpassion.com

Connie: What is your definition of open innovation?

Jeff: When a business goes outside of it’s normal boundaries to gather ideas from consumers, clients, & employees. It’s a matter of being open for innovation & telling them that you’re open to feedback then listening & responding. Related terms are user generated content & crowd sourcing.

There are many examples of this being used as a business model:

Threadless, Zazzles, Crowdspring

Bell Canada leverages ideas from staff.

Dell Ideastorm gathers ideas from customers.

I’m a reseller for SuggestionBox.com which allows a company to gather suggestions from their customers. Other examples are GetSatisfaction.com, BrightIdea (enterprise level) & Salesforce

Connie: Open innovation needs a different mindset and company culture than traditional or closed innovation. How can companies bridge that?

Jeff: The article’s point was that people are talking about you. Are you going to meet them where they are, welcome them? & be listening?

The web is the great leveler. It allows small businesses to seem bigger & big businesses to seem more intimate. Small businesses can use the same tools that the big businesses are using

Connie: What do you see as the challenges?

Jeff: Over 40% of small businesses still don’t have a website. They may have an email addresses. I provide businesses with guidance to get into listening & responding. When I attend events I put “open innovation evangelist” on my tag to get the conversation started!

Thanks to Jeff for his time in sharing his passion about open innovation. It was quite apparent in talking with him that he’s enthusiastic about the future for small businesses online.

You can find Jeff at BrickAndClickConsulting.com & ConsumerPassion.com

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