All companies, regardless of size or industry, face the continual challenge of identifying and developing products and services that customers want to buy. Thomas Edison is quoted as saying, “Innovation is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” While most printers have great ideas about how to deliver innovative products and services to their clients, the challenge is execution. This article—the third in a three-part series—highlights the strategies that service providers need to put in place to transform inspiration into meaningful revenue streams.

Coming up with new ideas for business models and opportunities, also known as “ideating,” is energizing and glamorous for owners and executives alike. Ideation is the front end or the beginning of innovation, while implementation and execution are what convert innovative ideas into reality. Following through on plans is the behind-the-scenes dirty work. Even within the largest and most powerful businesses, big ideas won’t go anywhere if organizations don’t put the people, processes, and mechanisms in place to implement plans.

Chris Trimble and Vijay Govindarajan are innovation consultants and Distinguished Professors from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. They have written many bestselling business books, including Ten Strategic Rules for Innovators, The Other Side of Innovation – Solving the Execution Challenge, How Stella Saved the Farm, and the Three Box Solution. These innovative books highlight how organizations can overcome inherent resistance to change and develop the right competencies to capitalize on new business opportunities.