Innovate! How Great Companies Get Started in Terrible Times

by Meyer, Thomas A.

• ISBN13: 9780470560587
• ISBN10: 0470560584
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-03
• Publisher: Wiley
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Learn the lessons of how great companies began in the worst economic timesEli Lilly. IBM. Medtronic, Procter & Gamble. Hewlett-Packard and Marvel Entertainment. All great companies and all made their start during the worst economic times.Innovate!: How Great Companies Get Started in Terrible Times is first and foremost a source of true inspiration based on history. But it goes much further than that. It captures the lessons of these great innovative individuals and companies that began in the worst economic times, identifying the philosohies, strategies, and essential keys to success during your own challenging economic times. Provides a compass to navigate troubled economic waters though innovation Explains the creative sources of innovation possessed by every individual Harnesses the power of innovation of the individual and the organizationInnovate!: How Great Companies Get Started in Terrible Times shows you the strides you and your organization can take toward thriving in the worst of times. And it just might be your road map to building the next great American business success story.

Author Biography

Thomas A. Meyer, MBA, CLP, is the Chief Innovation Officer of St. Louis University. Meyer's career in innovation management spans more than thirty years. He created the Domestic and International Intellectual Property Office at Anheuser-Busch, Inc., in 1980. He coauthored the pioneering book on intellectual property management, An Executive's Complete Guide to Licensing, in 1988. For more than twenty years, Meyer has consulted for many Fortune 500 and privately owned companies in the areas of licensing, franchising, new product development, and marketing. A partial list of clients includes Coca-Cola, Times Mirror Company, Ralston Purina, and CBS Radio and TV.
Meyer is also an accomplished entrepreneur who has founded four successful companies in the manufacturing, retail, and services industries. He has been responsible for developing some of the first sustainable products including the first 100% recycled plastic bottle in 1991 and the first bio-based automotive commodity chemicals in 1994. Meyer's new professional passion is building bridges between industry and universities to ensure America's innovation leadership in the world.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
I Am, Therefore I Innovate	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
Recession	p. 1
Panic of 1797 (1797–1800)	p. 4
Depression of 1807 (1807–1814)	p. 5
Panic of 1819 (1819–1824)	p. 5
Panic of 1837 (1837–1843)	p. 6
Panic of 1857 (1857–1858)	p. 6
The Long Depression (1873–1879)	p. 7
Panic of 1893 (1893–1896)	p. 8
Panic of 1907 (1907–1908)	p. 8
Post–World War I Recession (1918–1922)	p. 9
Recession of 1926 (1926–1927)	p. 10
The Great Depression (1929–1939)	p. 11
Post–World War II Recession (1945)	p. 13
Late 1940s Recession (1948–1949)	p. 14
Post–Korean War Recession (1953–1954)	p. 15
Recession of 1957 (1957–1958)	p. 16
Recession of 1960 (1960–1961)	p. 16
Recession of 1969 (1969–1970)	p. 17
Oil Crisis of 1973 (1973–1975)	p. 18
Recession of 1980 (1980–1982)	p. 20
Recession of 1990 (1990)	p. 21
Recession of 2001 (2001)	p. 23
Recession of 2008 (2008–TBD)	p. 24
Perseverance: General Electric Company	p. 25
The Lesson: The Power of Curiosity	p. 28
The Lesson: The Power of Communication	p. 29
The Lesson: Four Tips for a Successful Moonlighter	p. 30
Modern Parallel: Randy Copeland, Velocity Micro	p. 32
The Lesson: Go to Where the Business Is	p. 35
The Lesson: Create Your Own Luck	p. 35
The Lesson: The Power of Competition	p. 36
The Lesson: The Power of Incorporating	p. 38
Pain: Laugh-O-Gram Films	p. 41
The Lesson: The Power of Patience	p. 45
The Lesson: The Power of a Name	p. 46
Modern Parallel: Joe Jacobson, E Ink Corporation	p. 48
The Lesson: The Power of Branding	p. 51
Intuition: Apple Inc.	p. 53
The Lesson: The Power of Employees Who Believe	p. 56
The Lesson: The Power of Negotiation	p. 57
Modern Parallel: Dr. James Andrews, Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center	p. 60
The Lesson: The Power of Design	p. 63
The Lesson: The Power of Face Time	p. 64
The Lesson: What Kind of Company Are You?	p. 66
Simplicity: Johnson & Johnson	p. 69
The Lesson: The Power of a Copywriter	p. 73
The Lesson: The Power of Learning the Ropes	p. 74
The Lesson: The Power of Creating a Social Norm	p. 77
The Lesson: The Power of Managing Disaster	p. 79
Modern Parallels: Simple Problems, Simple Solutions, Simple Products	p. 83
Failure: The Hershey Company	p. 87
The Lesson: The Power of Quitting School	p. 89
The Lesson: The Power of Asking for Help	p. 91
The Lesson: The Power of Rejection	p. 92
The Lesson: The Power of a Single Customer	p. 93
The Lesson: The Power of Scalability Modern Parallel: Brian Wellinghoff, Barry-Wehmiller	p. 97
The Lesson: The Fallacy of “It'll Sell Itself”	p. 101
The Lesson: The Power of R&D	p. 102
Faith: Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay Cosmetics	p. 105
The Lesson: Innovation Is About More than Just a Product	p. 108
The Lesson: The Power of Sharing Your Passion…with Everyone	p. 110
Modern Parallel: Adam Smith, Twitter Community Choreography (Dance Theater Workshop)	p. 112
The Lesson: The Power of Incentives	p. 115
The Lesson: The Power of Keeping the Faith during Uphill Battles	p. 118
Insignificance: Dr. Lonnie Johnson, Super Soaker (Hasbro)	p. 121
The Lesson: The Power of Impracticality	p. 124
The Lesson: The Power of Organic Design	p. 126
Modern Parallel: Patrick Lockley, Six by Six Gallery	p. 129
Paradox: Enterprise Rent-A-Car	p. 131
The Lesson: Helping People at the Point of Need	p. 136
The Lesson: How to Keep Employees in Tough Times	p. 138
The Lesson: The Power of Not Franchising	p. 139
Modern Parallel: Robin Sloan, Robin Writes a Book (via Kickstarter)	p. 140
The Lesson: Dictate Growth Based on Your Employees	p. 143
The Lesson: Becoming Recession-Proof	p. 144
Luck: William Procter and James Gamble, Procter & Gamble	p. 147
The Lesson: The Power of Location, Location, Location	p. 150
The Lesson: The Power of a Logo	p. 151
Modern Parallel: Alma M. Lugtu, cover my bum™	p. 153
The Lesson: The Power of Bark and Bite	p. 157
The Lesson: The Power of Employee Loyalty	p. 158
The Lesson: The Power of Foresight	p. 159
The Lesson: The Power of Divergent Revenue Streams	p. 160
The Lesson: The Power of Academic Collaboration	p. 162
Greed: Joe Cassano, AIG	p. 165
Integrity: George Foreman, Salton Company	p. 173
Modern Parallel: Tom Phillips, Weekends Only	p. 179
The Innovation Generation	p. 183
Untying Knots	p. 187
Illustrative Communication	p. 188
Connecting the Dots	p. 188
Simplifying Complexities	p. 189
The Sandbox Universe	p. 191
Integrity	p. 196
Inspiration	p. 196
Imagination	p. 197
Innovation Development	p. 198
Industrialization	p. 199
The Sandbox Universe at St. Louis University: A Case Study	p. 201
Epilogue: The Power of the Bayh-Dole Act	p. 205
Notes	p. 209
About the Author	p. 211
Index	p. 213
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