Can you innovate products?

Are you watching the horizon? Changes are coming. You can count on it.

If you’re too busy doing what you do, making whatever you make or delivering services, you’ll miss opportunities.

We’re a great case study for innovating products. You might think we’re just a little wood shop tucked in the woods, but we’re so not. Our customers dot the global map and we have another special shop in the Netherlands.

We also love what we do and care about our industry so we pay attention. We have a person watching the horizon.

We also have a cultivated an open environment so employees know they can bring ideas, questions and concerns to the rest of the team. Our “owners” clearly are part of that team; there’s no fear or intimidation here.

The groundwork we’ve laid during decades of business translates into being ready when a call from the big city comes. We’d been watching the tiny cabin activity unfold out west for a few years, had several models available, and had sold some when we were invited to play on the national tiny house field.

It wasn’t the first time we’d taken a fresh look at what we do and added new custom wood products to our list. We added Adirondack wood a few years ago. We started making our own barn wood when we noticed the price of the genuine stuff was skyrocketing.

We started wondering what we could do to help our customers get their hands on something cool that they really wanted, but was just out of reach. We did what we always to: focus on innovating our products with a sharp eye on quality.

Could we make it? From scratch? We discovered we could make barn wood. We think it looks as good, if not better than the real stuff you used to be able to snag from the side of the road. We also came up with a few different finishes for our homemade barn wood. Who knew? (We did.)

So here’s the thing: if you don’t have someone keeping an eye out for what’s percolating in your industry, you need someone to do that for you or carve out time to do it yourself. Keep your eyes peeled for ways you can innovate your products. It’ll pay. We promise.