---
title: "10 Small Thoughts on Big Innovation"
canonical: https://jimcarroll.com/2016/11/10-small-thoughts-on-big-innovation-2/
updated: 2022-04-01T10:50:08+00:00
---

# 10 Small Thoughts on Big Innovation

One of my favorite innovation phrases that I always use on stage or in a CEO off-site is “**think big, start small, scale fast**!”

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So I woke up this morning and came into the home office, and was thinking about the “start small’ part of that phrase. And quickly jotted down a list of small ideas.

Here goes!

-  **do small projects**: too many innovation efforts get bogged down, bloated, and blow up due to big scope and size!

- **celebrate small wins** : not every innovation effort needs to be a home run

- **learn from small failures**: I love the phrase fail early, fail often, fail fast; you can do that better if your project is small

- **scatter your team for small exploration**: there is so much going on in so many industries that is so tiny but has huge implications, you’ve simply got to let your people explore!

- **reframe the idea of small**: put into perspective how small changes can have a big impact

- **look for small winners**: for example, there are tremendous innovations in manufacturing concepts with small manufacturers — learn from them!

- **give a small bit**: in an era of open collaboration and global insight, giving back some R&D can be a good thing

- **seek small heroes**: in the global economy, there is probably a small 1 or 2 person company who is doing exactly the cool, innovate thing you need. Find them!

- **establish small decision groups**: destroy committees; if there has to be one to make a decision, limit it to 1 or 2 or 3 people.

- **focus on the power of small**: one person can change a company, an industry, a country, a world!

Of course, my ideas aren’t original. The original concept of small perhaps came from the greatest advertising campaign of all time — for the VW Beetle, Think Small.

It’s a powerful concept.

In my case, the entirety of my career as a global keynote speaker, futurist, trends and innovation expert is that it’s me, and my wife, and a small home office that is plugged into a great big world. From here, I serve up insight and guidance to a vast range of global organizations, associations, CEO’s and leadership teams.

Thinking big, starting small, scaling fast.

Perhaps the real secret to succeeding in a world where the future belongs to those who are fast!