17 small innovations that will set your nature venture apart

Last week, I had one of those ahhhhhh moments, so I wanted to share it with you because it changed how I see business innovation.

In her book Radical Candor, Kim Scott writes about how we often focus on those massive ideas when discussing innovation, like the iPhone.

We should also pay attention to micro innovations. Small ideas that make the life of our customers a bit easier.

Because when those compound, it will be tough to copy your nature venture.

Others might be able to copy your product, but if you pay attention to these small ideas and empower your team to realize them, you will be unstoppable.

Copying one idea is straightforward. Copying thousands of small ideas gets very tricky.

You know your nature venture the best, so you might already have some ideas.

But to make your job easier, I provide 17 small ideas that, when cumulated, will set your nature venture apart.

17 small innovations that will set your nature venture apart

1. Create a beautiful e-mail signature

We are roughly sending 40 e-mails per day. 40 times an opportunity to share with the receiver what your nature venture is about & make it easy for them to find out more.

2. Micro copywriting

Nowadays, many websites look and read the same. Put yourself apart by using micro copywriting. Examples for your website are writing better button names, headlines, or newsletter subscription texts. Enages the user much more.

3. Always use the same branded colors

When you have your nature venture brand, use the colors you came up with everywhere. On your website, on your socials, in your e-mails, and your newsletters. It makes your brand more recognizable.

4. Make interactions human

So many of our exchanges with our customers & donors are formal. Bring humanity into it. When you are writing to a customer, ask them how their week was and share about yours. These things look minor but make a real difference.

5. Anticipate issues & questions

After a while of working on your nature venture, you get a good overview of the questions you constantly get. So, improve your communication accordingly and provide FAQs on the website so potential customers can immediately get their answers.

6. Make paying an ease

I frequently stop donation or purchase processes if the payment process is complicated. Paying or donating should be the easiest step for your customers. Make it as short and painless as possible.

7. Update your LinkedIn profile

You are a key figure in your nature venture, so make sure that your profile is tailored to the group of people you want to talk to, and that ideally can support your nature venture. Use the brand colors, create a powerful call to action link, explain your nature venture, have a relevant profile picture, use the header image, etc.

8. Welcome your new employees with a bang

Your team is everything. They are the force that pushes your idea to new levels. So when you get a new person on board, ensure they get the best welcome they ever received from a company. First impressions matter.

9. Make it easy to create content from the ground

Nowadays, there is a lot of greenwashing out there, so make it as easy as possible for your team to produce content that shows the groundwork of how you make the world wilder.

10. Don't let knowledge leave your company

People come and go. That is just part of the nature venture world. While people can leave, ensure their knowledge and best practices stay in the company. Create a knowledge system that gets better and better with every employee that joins.

11. Personalize your sales demo

If you are selling B2B, adapt your demo and sales pitch to the company in front of you. Changing the logo, colors, industry context, etc., goes a long way to secure the deal.

12. Create something unexpected

Regularly surprise your community with something new. For example, Barilla, the pasta company, created some Spotify playlists so that people knew exactly how long they needed to boil their pasta.

13. Eco-Friendly Invoices

Send electronic invoices instead of paper ones. Mention your commitment to sustainability in the e-mail, showcasing your eco-friendly practices.

14. Handwritten Thank-You Notes

After a successful interaction, take a few minutes to send a personalized handwritten thank-you note to your colleagues, customers, or donors. It adds a personal touch that makes your venture memorable.

15. Sustainable Web Hosting

Choose a web hosting provider that runs on renewable energy to reduce your website's carbon footprint. Highlight this choice on your site.

16. Custom Plantable Business Cards

Design business cards embedded with wildflower seeds. When recipients plant the card, it grows into wildflowers, reinforcing your environmental commitment.

17. Set a reply time

Being reactive to your customers can be a tiny detail that goes a long way. I am still waiting for some e-mails from NGOs that were never answered. Set a realistic but ambitious time (24h) and make this a nonnegotiable KPI.

All not crazy and mindblowing. But if compounded, it is tough to copy for your competitor.

5 Practical steps to implement micro innovations

So, how can you push your staff to create micro innovations? Here are some practical steps to get started:

1. Encourage Experimentation:

Promote a culture where team members feel safe to experiment and take calculated risks. Encourage them to explore small, creative ideas without the fear of failure. Celebrate learning from experiments, whether they succeed or not.

2. Provide Time and Resources:

Allocate dedicated time and resources for employees to work on small innovation projects. This might include "innovation time" or specific budget allocations.

3. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Break down silos and promote collaboration among different departments and teams. Cross-functional teams can bring diverse perspectives and skill sets to the table, enhancing the quality of small innovations.

4. Recognition and Rewards:

Implement a system for recognizing and rewarding small innovations. This can be through financial incentives, public acknowledgment, or career development opportunities. Highlight the impact these innovations have on the organization's goals and values.

5. Communication and Feedback:

Create open channels for communication and feedback. Encourage employees to share their ideas and experiences. Regularly check in with team members, listen to their concerns, and provide constructive feedback to help them refine their ideas.

A cheat sheet to create small innovations for your nature venture

In a nutshell: Don't look only for massive innovations; create an environment where small innovations can occur.

Book: Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Article: Harvard Business Review Article 

Tools:

Canva - For brand and design work

Krystal - Green website hosting

Notion - Knowledge Management

Chat GPT - Micro Copywriting

Before you go.

If you think this newsletter is helpful, please share it with 1 ecopreneur in your network.

This will help me massively to keep posting these in the years to come.

Massive innovations are significant, but to get your nature venture to exist in the decades to come, create an environment where you and your team can constantly launch small innovations.

Together, they will compound and set you apart from your competition sooner or later.

Have a wild week!

Best,

Oliver

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