5 Traits of the Most Innovative Entrepreneurs

Innovation is a key characteristic most entrepreneurs have. They are capable of finding a way into a particular market and excel. Those who lack the ability to continuously innovate their company get left behind and eventually shut down. Being innovative is something your business can't afford to overlook. Many business owners know this and end up hiring a consulting firm like Corporate Business Solutions to analyze their companies to determine the best processes and systems to implement. Innovating your processes and systems is sometimes all that's needed to boost profits and productivity.

Innovating is easier said than done, which is why it's necessary for entrepreneurs to learn the process. Being a hard worker isn't enough to keep your business going for years, let alone decades. If you're serious about improving your innovation skills, then you need to adopt the following traits (or hire talent that possesses them).

Always Looking for Patterns

Data is important for operating a business, but means nothing if you can't identify patterns and decipher what they mean. Taking random data and making something useful out of it is a gift. You have to intentionally look for these patterns if you want to find them. You also need to have the ability to foresee a problem before it occurs.

The professionals at Corporate Business Solutions look for patterns in your organization when determining what improvements need to be made.

Being Brilliantly Lazy

Bill Gates said it best, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Sometimes, simpler and faster is a good thing. Doing things the technical way doesn't always pan out and can slow down productivity. As long as efficiency and quality aren't being interrupted, then what's the problem? Work smarter, not harder. Strive to create a top-notch product and streamline the process at the same time.

Take Notes Obsessively

Your mind can only hold but so much information. Then tie in the fact that it often misconstrues things it has seen and heard. You can reduce discrepancies and redundancies by taking down notes at meetings and while on calls. Make this a habit, so that you always have the facts written down to refer back to at a later time. You should also make it a habit to write down your ideas. They're like dreams, after a while, you forget them. A notebook of innovative ideas can be useful whenever you're trying to come up with ways to improve your business.

Preach Perfection, but Practice Progress

Perfection is always desired in the business world, but in reality, it's quite rare. Leaders need to draw the line between perfectionism and progress. Requesting perfection is fine, but not if it’s crippling your organization. Discarding it can also open the door for mediocrity. An innovator preaches perfection, but also strives to get work done realistically. The key is to aim for perfection, but always fire to make progress.

Don't Wait for Things to Break

They say, “If it's not broke, then don't fix it,” which is true in most cases, but not in the business world. Innovators are always looking for ways to improve a situation, even when it's going well. It's the ideal way to stay ahead of competition and to ensure your products and services exceed customers' expectations. Doing things this way will also reduce chances of problems occurring.

Corporate Business Solutions is a consulting firm in Schaumburg, IL. It works with small and medium businesses in various sectors, including automotive, industrial and food service.