“If you do the same as everyone else, you won’t stand out in a crowd. If you differentiate yourself, you will be seen, but if you innovate, you will be known.”
If I can only say I’ve done one thing well in my entrepreneurial career, it would be innovation. I have started up several businesses over the past decade, and the one thing I always do from the start is differentiate myself. To be different gives you a competitive edge because when two things are the same, the better price will always win. Differentiation gives people a choice; they can choose whether they like what you’re offering versus your competition and make a decision, but unlike differentiation, which is easy to duplicate (or copy), innovation gives you a competitive edge that is much more difficult to replicate. When a business successfully copies your innovation, you’ve already gotten a headstart.
To present it as an everyday situation, when a city has 50 different hair salons, most have differentiated themselves differently. Customers will find their favorite and continue to go unless they have an issue or find something new worth checking out. When a salon suddenly announces a new service or product seen as an innovation or exclusive to only them, some customers will be inclined to leave their regular salon to check it out. If the salon has implemented this correctly, they will win the customer over and gain their repeat business. If implemented exceptionally well, other business owners will either need to learn how to copy them or a significant barrier prevents them from doing it easily.
This is precisely what I did in my spa business. I jumped on a trend when it was brand new, invested a ridiculous amount in myself to learn this new service and become a master at it, and then began teaching it to others. When the market started to saturate, I shifted gears and devised a way to bring fresh traffic through the door. This wasn’t an original idea; it was being offered in high-end spas a couple of hours away from me, but the distance was no issue because most people don’t drive 2 hours to visit a spa regularly. I kept it very tight-lipped – something you must do to protect your IP until you’re ready to reveal it to the public. The launch process took me quite a while, but the long wait and anticipation paid off when I was prepared to launch the Tri-City’s first liquor-licensed spa. It wasn’t in liquor sales; that didn’t bring in much revenue for the spa. It was exposure where I saw the most significant payoff. I was featured on the news and mentioned on social media. We gained new clients simply because they wanted a glass of wine while they got their hair and nails done. Of course, other spas copied my idea, but they didn’t know that it wasn’t a profitable idea, and by the time they got licensed, it was ‘old news.’
If you’re ready to take your business game to the next level, I highly recommend getting there through innovation. Here are my top 5 lessons on being an innovator in your industry.
Embrace Change and Adaptability
Innovation requires a mindset open to change. Adaptability and willingness to pivot based on new information or market demands can help your business stay ahead. Don’t get caught up in the negativity because many people can’t accept change until it becomes mainstream. Many friends and family have questioned my past ideas because they weren’t the norm. The key is to distinguish which comments are helpful feedback that you must consider, which are due to a lack of understanding or unwillingness to accept change, and which comments are due to jealousy. Unfortunately, I had to throw that last one in there because I think it is a right of passage as an entrepreneur to experience jealousy at least once in your career, and sometimes this could lead you astray.
Don’t fear – you should be able to take a concern and validate it through others. If I had said I wanted to license my spa and serve alcohol during prohibition and someone questioned what the implications would be, that is a valid concern I would like to look into more. If someone asked, “Why would anyone want to drink while they get their hair done?” I wouldn’t waste my time trying to convince them. Would I enjoy it? Absolutely. Would my loyal clients want it? I had known many of my clients for several years, so I knew they would, which brings me to my next lesson.
Listen to Your Customers
Understanding and prioritizing customer needs and feedback can drive innovation. Engaging with customers through surveys, feedback forms, and direct interactions can reveal insights that lead to innovative products or services.
Innovation doesn’t happen out of nowhere. There is always a driving force behind it. You may not have come up with an idea yet, but when you do, it will be connected to a problem you are trying to solve or a need you are trying to meet. If you’re struggling with what to come up with, ask your customers! They are also great at helping guide your decision-making process once you have come up with something, and you don’t even need to share with them that you’re up to anything.
Sprinkle It In
When I came up with my invention, I knew I would be launching a brand new product to my market. Although it was ten months out, at one point, I began dropping thought-provoking ideas and questions into my marketing. I would often share a post on Instagram discussing the importance of diversification and creating multiple revenue streams in my industry. Emails posed questions such as, “Are you meeting your financial goals with what you’re currently doing?” It wasn’t obvious, and I didn’t want it to be. It was so subtle that I don’t think anyone even realized what I was doing. My marketing was still conveying the type of messaging my customers were used to, which came from a place of service and support. Still, I started laying the foundation for my bigger plans long before announcing it. Understanding the psychology of humans and how to [ethically] use it to your advantage in marketing can be a beneficial tool to understand.
Believe in What You Do
If you’re trying to innovate, the number one person who should be on board is YOU. If you don’t buy what you’re selling, you will convey that message whether you want to or not.
I was struggling to sell a particular product for months. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong; I was doing everything under the sun that had worked for me in the past, except for one thing. I was beginning to lose my passion and belief in what I was doing, and I felt deceitful recommending something that I no longer felt the same way about as I once did. I knew this was making it harder for me to sell, but I fought the feeling because I was at a point where I was selling out of desperation, not because I believed in it.
I have always practiced integrity when it comes to business. There might be seasoned salespeople who can sell things they care nothing about or don’t believe in simply because they are great at what they do, but imagine how much better they would be if it were something they were excited about. It would make all the difference in the world.
Be Willing To Take Risks and Experiment
Innovation often involves stepping into the unknown. Encouraging calculated risk-taking and experimentation can lead to significant breakthroughs. Creating a safe environment for testing new ideas without fear of failure is essential. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself either – innovation doesn’t have to be an invention; it can be an alteration of something that no one has ever thought to change.
Even if you think your niche is exhausted of all possibilities – think again. False lashes, for example, have been around since the early 1900s, originally made as a strip with plastic lashes that you apply to the eyelid with glue. That didn’t stop individual eyelash extensions from exploding in popularity almost a century later, leading to the creation of volume lash applications – a true form of art and skill – and then the glued-on lash strips were reinvented as magnetic lashes. There’s always a way to reinvent something to make it your own.
When you’re ready to open your mind to new possibilities, your mind will oblige. Take your time and give yourself grace because great things do not happen overnight, and nothing worth having comes easy.
Marci Matejcek is an expert in permanent jewelry and the creator of The Forever Lock, the world’s first non-weld permanent jewelry lock. She has an innate ability to identify emerging trends and capitalize on them, always adding her unique touch to stand out in the market. Her innovative approach and dedication earned her nominations for the New Business of the Year and Young Entrepreneur Awards through the Chamber of Commerce in 2017.
Over her career, Marci has started up nine businesses, taught over 200 students, been featured on CTV multiple times and was published in The Wedding Ring Magazine.
She is a three-time college graduate, having pursued diverse fields of study, and has committed over 500 hours to continuing education locally, regionally, and internationally over the past decade. Marci firmly believes that investing in oneself is the key to future success, a philosophy she embodies and instills in her four children.
Marci’s journey is a testament to her relentless pursuit of excellence, her ability to adapt and thrive in various industries, and her unwavering commitment to her family’s well-being. Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and the pursuit of the good life, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.
