Chances are, if you talk to five different leaders and ask them “What is innovation?” you’ll probably end up with five different answers. The ironic part? Innovation is an extremely popular buzzword and yet business leaders don’t always agree on the definition. Often you hear phrases like “creating new products.”  Sometimes you get a cheeky answer like “the process of innovating.”  After a couple of answers like that, you head over to Merriam-Webster.com for the definitive answer. Well, their definition is a little broader: a new idea, method, or device.

When you want to make your products stand out from your competitors (a.k.a. the sea of sameness), don’t overlook the obvious, deeming it inconsequential. Sometimes it’s a couple of small tweaks and subtle changes that, when combined, add more customer value and give your product a definite competitive edge. This combination of multiple small enhancements is something I refer to as subtle innovation.

When I talk with small business owners about innovation, I often hear the same thing over and over.

“We need to innovate more.”