Personal Blogs

Living Labs: A New Approach to Research and Innovation
Discover how real-world co-creation is changing the way projects succeed.

Traditional research and innovation processes often unfold behind closed doors, far from the people and environments they aim to influence. Yet a growing body of practice supported by the European Network of Living Labs suggests a radically different approach: design, test, and co-create in real-world settings with the very people innovations are meant to serve.

Here is my understanding of Living Labs in context of Sustainable Business Design.

Living Labs move beyond laboratory walls and theoretical models, creating open, interactive ecosystems where users, researchers, organisations, and communities work together through iterative cycles of experimentation and learning.

This shift matters for Horizon Europe projects, sustainable innovation, and any effort where user relevance, feasibility, and impact cannot be left to assumptions.

Many new and established companies face significant challenges, and often the root cause is a weak business model. That's why it's essential for every entrepreneur, startup founder, and business leader to deeply understand and carefully craft their business model. It can be the difference between success and failure.

A key question for any leader is: how do we actively engage with our business model? How do we unpack this complex concept, simplify it, and, most importantly, share it in a way that empowers the entire team to contribute and drive it forward?

Here the Business Model Canvas come. The Business Model Canvas isn't just a theoretical concept; it's a practical tool I've used for over 10 years to help businesses clarify their business models. That's why I created a video, "What is the Business Model and what is business model canvas?", to share its power with other entrepreneurs. The Canvas establishes a shared language, is simple and visual, and allows you to discover opportunities.

Have a look and let me know if that is something you would like to use while working ON your business idea!

I’ve recently dedicated time to developing materials aimed at aspiring and new entrepreneurs which are exploring various aspects of business design and entrepreneurship. This journey can be both exciting and daunting, and I believe it’s essential to equip oneself with the right knowledge and strategies.

Today, I want to highlight a crucial point: before launching a new business (a startup) —it’s vital to engage in specific preparatory activities (business exploration). These steps are instrumental in identifying the right business model, which is fundamental to the success of any venture. 

To share my insights on this topic, I’ve created what I call the Passion to Profit Approach. I recorded a video where I distill 24 years of experience into just 22 minutes. In this video, I cover key concepts and practical strategies that can help you navigate the complexities of starting your own business. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/v-xJIUHGeh4

If you’re interested in this subject, I encourage you to check out the video and would love to hear your thoughts! Your feedback is invaluable as it will help me to maximise my impact on turning entrepreneurs' passions into successful enterprises.

Taking critique can often be a challenging experience for many individuals, particularly when it involves personal ideas. Have you ever observed something like that? Such a person is literally feedback-proof and can  treat every comment even with hostility!

Here is the bad news: under specific circumstances, any of us can face this problem. This phenomenon occurs when a person's brain begins to treat their ideas as integral parts of their self-concept. When this happens, any critique directed at these ideas can be perceived as an attack on the self, leading to defensiveness or outright rejection of the feedback.

How to avoid such a disaster? I explore the way how our brain can merge ideas and identity and to avoid it in detail in the article: Don't fall in love with your idea. 

The consequences of this can be severe. For instance, consider a startup owner who is in the process of finding and testing a new business model. If they view their concept as an extension of their identity, they may become impervious to valuable critiques that could enhance their business strategy. This inability to accept feedback can be detrimental, potentially leading to a failure to adapt or pivot when necessary, which is crucial for any company's survival.

Let me know in the comment what do you think about this issue!

The modern world is changing faster than ever. In order to be able to respond to these changes and to adapt well, we as business people, entrepreneurs need to be flexible and agile. Sounds obvious, isn't it?

The challenge is about every day of execution. Being persistently and methodically flexible and agile day by day - in order to understand the reality and to adapt to it. In other words that simply means: being able to understand what people need and if they are willing to pay for it, finding if there are enough such people. And then embedding this into a right business model to be able to operate at the right scale.

That is a process - a real job every entrepreneur needs to do - regardless if the one is engaged in a startup or mature company.

What happens when this is neglected?

Disastrous things are happening. Recently I recorded a video about an entrepreneur who invested 50k in a retail business just to get 3 customers in 3 weeks after launching (you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/gDEH2Xk7m0g ).

You can say: how it is possible (BTW I have answered this question in a video)? That has to be just bad luck. Unfortunately it is not. Believe me it is pretty common. Definitely more frequent than it should be. I learnt plenty of such case studies in my professional practice.

So, yes, agile approaches can help us to succeed and/or avoid a big failure. And this is what I intend to write about here - if I stick to my resolution

Thanks for reading.

Witold