I’ve been mulling over the transition from ‘brain for hire’ to ‘products for purchase’. In my innovative world, the goal for me is always to help people re-discover their creative talents and passions and apply them at work. And, given I’m an Ideas guy, I end up using Ideas as the touchstone to help them rediscover their talents to innovate…ideas. Its a circular conumdrum that makes sense in the verbal telling but doesn’t translate so well to type.

That said, for the past lets say 5 years I’ve been working up different Ideas about ways to truly help people have Better Ideas. The curiosity is that I’m on the verge of collecting all of these ‘ways’ into a ‘product’ that others can use to help have Better Ideas, because these products will help them become aware of their own creativity, do more with it and collaborate around theirs and others to innovate Better Ideas. I believe in this product, I’ve walked my own talk and created it based on real audience need (and unknown wants), it’s been tested, piloted and developed. I’ve had some of the UK’s finest help me think, craft and execute. And we’re on the verge of signing a real client who see’s the smarts, has the conscious need and strategic foresight to make bold steps into this space - and is passionate about making it work.

Thats taken a long paragraph to describe and you still may not know what the hell I’m talking about - which brings me to my point. I’ve funded this venture to date and will keep funding it because it’s such a big opportunity, it’s an innovate solution and it could blow up big whilst truly delivering value - a project worth doing on all accounts. However, I need to connect and collaborate ongoing with smart people and organistions around the project to realise it’s potential.

And so to Innovate UK - otherwise known as Technology Strategy Board. Here’s the rub. They have currently got a competition to ‘give-away’ £18milion to start ups that are working in the digital innovation space to help drive innovation capabilities across Britain.

My project fits the bill - no question. I’ve run it by a few authoritative persons and they 100% agree.

Like lotto tho - you gotta be in to win. What that requires is for me to down tools, spend a quantity of quality time to fill in pages of documentation - not my best of skills lets be honest - and post it in blind i.e. no other supporting materials, no presentation, no mockups, pilots, links, images, testimonials etc etc ec bloody cetera.

I don’t have the time to stop. doing. so that I can apply for ‘free’ govt cash to help with this project that will help others get innovating. Maybe I should look at my priorities - but innovation in business is my business, I gotta keep innovating to stay in the innovating business - so who has the time to stop doing that to fill in a load of forms when a ‘dragons style’ 5 mins would explain all.

This competition opportunity will go begging because I’m furiously working to stay smart and keep doing. Needs must.

Maybe it’s meant to be this way. I don’t mind - I really don’t. I’m excited as all hell and am going the extra miles because I’m so pumped.

Maybe in a bit I’ll pitch the TSB to see if I can’t help tart up how they facilitate their competition offers - and use Wayne to show them how…

Well it’s been a long shall we say pregnancy (altho want to be careful about carrying that metaphor too far!) but finally our very own Wayne is here and in the ‘beta’ world. Who would have thought a proposed 4 month build would take a year - but there you go, take that for your naivety in all things webby software world.

Of course this will mean nothing to our 4 blog readers - because even if you did click thru to meet Wayne you won’t be able to get in because it’s invites only. That said, if you are keen please email ‘wayne@usingwayne.com’ and am sure we can sort you out for a ‘meet and greet’.

For the rest of the innovating world, we give our silent promise that the name Wayne will soon be manifest  above any and all World Cup footballing frustration to the dizzying heights of Creative Mastery…

ps - many thanks to the Nike commercial for metaphorically writing our Waynes future (we like to think the positive on bended royal knee version!!)

When Fast Company start reporting IBM studies that say ‘For CEOs, creativity is now the most important leadership quality for success in business’ then it just might be that our IndustryApproved time has come!! Which means we have to put our ‘coding procrastination’ aside and unofficially launch our resident expert W. to the world (ok, maybe not the world - lets say our ‘habitat’ which is pretty much West London!!). Standby people…the name Wayne will soon be up in the bright lights