Does your company have an innovative culture? One that pushes the boundaries, challenges conventional thinking and innovates its way to growth? Even if it doesn’t, there are simple tweaks and exercises to get team members to think outside the box.

Enter Roel de Graaf. He’s an entrepreneur and consultant with more than 35 years of experience in the business world. He is the director of transformation at the Dutch Health Insurance Company VGZ and the author of 180 Business Hacks: little changes, big difference.

Business Leader spoke to de Graaf about Amazon’s unique approach to innovation, how a simple workshop can inspire employees and boost retention, and much more.

Why do you think innovation is so critical for businesses looking to scale?

Innovation is the lifeblood of any organisation that wants to grow sustainably. For medium-sized companies, it’s often the differentiator between staying in a comfortable local niche and scaling to become a national or even global player.

That said, no leader wants to throw out tried-and-tested methods or disrupt essential revenue streams just for the sake of “shaking things up”. The goal is to add new ideas and processes in a way that complements what already works.

The Martini Principle

The first business hack in your book, which starts with a section on Innovation, is called The Martini Principle. It’s inspired by an old advertising slogan for Martini: Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere. Could you tell us more about that?

Certainly. The original Martini slogan was intended to highlight the versatility and universal appeal of the drink. I’ve adapted it into The Martini Principle for innovation. Essentially, it states that any product, service or process that doesn’t meet the “anytime, anyplace, anywhere” benchmark is ripe for improvement.

If a customer can’t access your offering whenever and wherever they need it, there’s a gap that some other competitor will eventually fill.

That makes sense in an era where convenience is king. How can leaders apply this principle in practical terms?

The first step is to systematically review every aspect of your business from your customer’s viewpoint. Ask questions like: “Can our clients engage with our product or service at a time that suits them?”, “is our online presence robust enough to allow purchases or inquiries around the clock?” and “do our delivery or support processes cover the locations and channels our customers expect?”

In practice, you might set up a small cross-functional team – maybe from operations, customer service and marketing – to identify the biggest obstacles to “anytime, anyplace, anywhere” access. Once you’ve highlighted those friction points, rank them in terms of their impact on customer satisfaction and revenue. Then, implement improvements in a manageable sequence, starting with the biggest wins first.

How do you make sure that your team isn’t overextending itself?

That’s a great point. You do need to prioritise. Not every product or service needs to be available on every channel, but the channels and times that matter most to your customers should be covered. Some leaders make the mistake of trying to do everything at once.

Instead, start by surveying your most loyal or profitable customers: find out what their pain points are and solve those first. Over time, you can expand to other channels or time zones if it aligns with your strategy and budget.

The Amazon Way

Your second idea in the innovation section of your book is called The Amazon Way, which involves starting with the press release before you even begin developing a product or service. Could you walk us through that process?

This concept comes from Amazon’s famous “working backwards” approach. Typically, when you have a new product idea, you might start with brainstorming features or gathering a development team. Amazon flips that: they begin by writing the press release – a hypothetical announcement that goes out to the world when the product is launched.

Why do they do that? Because it forces you to crystallise exactly what the product does, why it’s needed and how it benefits customers before you invest in prototypes, marketing budgets or extensive development. You then draft a Q&A to address all the possible queries stakeholders or customers might have. If the team and key stakeholders are still enthusiastic about the product after seeing this vision, then you proceed to the development phase.

That sounds like a great way to maintain clarity and focus. How can a medium-sized company practically adopt this method?

Simply organise a pizza meeting with your team and start with writing the press release. It is fun to do this in a workshop setting. Each person writes a one-page press release that explains the new product or service in plain language. It should include the problem being solved, the target audience, the main features and a compelling reason why customers will love it. Then, collectively review these draft press releases.

Discuss what’s compelling, what’s missing and whether the product genuinely moves the needle for the business. Next, create a Q&A that addresses internal questions (such as “how do we ensure profitability?” and “is this feasible with our existing technology?”) and external questions (such as “how does this compare to competitor products?” and “what does it cost?”). After this, take the press release to a selection of your customers, show it to them and ask for their response.

Only if the press release and Q&A stand up to scrutiny should you move forward with actual development. This process might feel unusual at first, but it greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll build something customers truly want.

In your experience, what’s the biggest pitfall companies encounter when trying to adopt The Amazon Way?

The main challenge is resisting the urge to jump straight into solution mode. People get excited about new ideas and want to start building right away. But if you can be disciplined enough to test your assumptions on paper first, you’ll save time, money and morale in the long run.

I have seen organisations save tons of money by not investing in ideas and features that they thought were great, but did not pass the press release test.

Flip-over model

In another part of your book, the strategy section, you have an intriguing business hack called the Flip-over Model. It references the classic “product-market-technology” paradigm but suggests we only change one axis at a time. Could you elaborate on that?

Absolutely. We often hear about the holy trinity of product, market and technology. Typically, when we innovate, we’re tempted to do something completely new in all three areas: a brand-new product, for a brand-new market, using brand-new technology. That’s very high risk.

The Flip-over Model says: flip just one axis. So, for instance, if you already have a proven product and proven technology, try flipping the market axis. This means taking your existing product and tech into a new customer segment or geography. Conversely, if you have an established market and proven technology, you can flip over the product axis by developing something new for those same customers. The idea is to keep two of the three factors constant, thus reducing risk while still enabling meaningful innovation.

That’s a refreshing approach for leaders who worry about biting off more than they can chew. What’s a practical example?

Imagine you’re a medium-sized manufacturer of specialised kitchen equipment that’s already sold to UK restaurants. You might decide to flip over the market axis by taking your existing product (your specialised kitchen equipment) and the same technology (your current manufacturing processes) to a new market – say, hospitals or schools. You’re keeping two elements stable: your product and technology and you’re only experimenting with the market dimension.

Alternatively, you might flip the product axis. Keep your existing market (UK restaurants) and technology (manufacturing processes) but develop a new line of products – maybe smaller, cost-effective versions for food trucks or pop-up restaurants. Again, you’re only changing one dimension, making the innovation more manageable and less risky.

If I’m a leader in a medium-sized company and I want to apply these three ideas – The Martini Principle, The Amazon Way and the Flip-over Model – how should I get started without overwhelming my team?

As I’ve already suggested before with one of the business hacks, I recommend a workshop approach. Bear in mind that the beauty of these hacks is their simplicity and the spark they bring. They inspire, are easy to grasp, help us see things differently and sometimes they even put a smile on our faces. The most impactful ideas often start small – like tiny cracks that eventually grow into something much bigger.

That’s precisely why adopting these principles in incremental steps can help you innovate without destabilising the core of your business. Working together with a team in a workshop setting using the business hacks will almost certainly inspire without overwhelming them.

Communication must be a key part of the process. How do you keep employees motivated and on board with these changes, especially if they’re used to the status quo?

Transparency and inclusion are crucial. When employees understand why these initiatives matter – how they fit into the bigger picture of growth and long-term stability –they’re far more likely to engage positively.

Share for example the press releases and Q&As with them and invite feedback. The best thing that could happen is that they improve what has been produced. And even if some suggestions aren’t feasible, acknowledging them can build trust and buy-in.

Finally, what advice would you give leaders who are still hesitant about innovation, perhaps because they’re worried about costs or risks?

Remember that doing nothing is often the riskiest option of all. Markets evolve, competitors innovate and customers’ expectations shift rapidly. If you stand still, you risk losing relevance. The three business hacks we’ve discussed are also nice because they minimise risk. The Martini Principle ensures you’re focusing on customer needs, The Amazon Way forces clarity before you invest and the Flip-over Model reduces complexity by limiting the variables you change.

You don’t need to turn your business upside down to be innovative. Start small, test assumptions and keep two out of three elements stable whenever you can. Over time, these incremental improvements add up to a major shift in how your company operates and competes.

Do you have any final words for people looking to implement these hacks?

Innovation isn’t a buzzword; it’s a mindset. When you adopt the three hacks we’ve covered, you create an environment where new ideas can flourish without jeopardising your core business. Good luck to all those leaders out there. You have more opportunities than ever to make a lasting impact if you innovate thoughtfully and strategically.

Roel de Graaf’s book 180 Business Hacks: Little Changes, Big Difference is available now.