Founder of Innovinco and an award-winning innovator himself, Pullen distills his wealth of experience into an actionable blueprint filled with mini-missions and powerful anecdotes like the Airbnb origin story that resonate. Innovation is a prerequisite for both adapting and thriving in these ever-changing times, a cultural change agent that lies between thriving and becoming obsolete. The author's knack for explaining complex topics with succinct simplicity delivers literature that will undoubtedly stand the test of time and remain relevant in any market or industry.

At its core, Pullen's book identifies three qualities that become the bedrock of innovation: new, value, and real. As the author breaks down each variable, he debunks the long-standing myth that innovation and entrepreneurship are essentially synonymous. While every innovator is an entrepreneur, every entrepreneur is not an innovator because entrepreneurship simply requires starting a business, not necessarily addressing the "new" variable. Though the premise of the work is derived from taking action and evaluating, Pullen dedicates the first part of the book to emphasizing the importance of a strong innovation foundation.

The culture of innovation is predicated upon asking "power questions," like "How could we make this more valuable for you," to encourage a customer-centric, value-based approach to innovation. From narrowing the need to tracking and iterating the prototype, the ten steps are laid out with such precision that even a layman could implement their project idea. In fact, even within the ten steps, each one is broken into three sub-steps, and the work as a whole features mini-missions, a way of providing a sense of fulfillment after completing mini goals rather than waiting for the final payoff. Ultimately, the clarity of detail and actionable strategies within Pullen's work make it less of a book and more of a mantra every innovator should unquestionably internalize.

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The 2026 Eric Hoffer Book Award Reference Category Winner

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