Innovators are the dreamers who turn ideas into reality. I am indeed; you too? Read further to learn from my five biggest mistakes  …

Even the best minds stumble sometimes. If you’re on your innovation journey, you might recognise these mistakes. Don’t worry—it happens to everyone. Here are five common traps talentful innovators fall into, including me, and how to avoid them.

1. Falling in Love with your Idea

It’s easy to get attached to your idea. You think it’s brilliant (and it might be). But the truth is, not every idea is a winner. Innovators often get so hooked on their original concept, they ignore feedback or signs it’s not working. Don’t make your idea your identity. Be flexible. If it’s not solving a real problem, pivot.

Solution:Test early. Get feedbackas early as possible for example by pretotyping. Be willing to let go if needed.

2. Ignoring Your Market

You’ve got a breakthrough solution—but does anyone need it? Innovators often focus on creating the “next big thing” without checking if there’s a market for it. No matter how cool your innovation is, if it doesn’t solve a pain point or relevant customer friction as I coin it, for someone, it’s not going anywhere.

Solution: Do your customer research first. Understand your market and the relevant problem you’re solving.

3. Overcomplicating the Solution

Innovators love adding features. It's tempting to keep tweaking and making your product, service or business model more impressive. But more isn’t always better. Sometimes, simplicity wins. Overcomplicating can confuse your audience and make the solution harder to use.

Solution: Start simple. Launch with your core value. You can always add features later.

4. Innovating Solo

You can invent alone, but innovating isn’t a solo sport. It’s easy to think you can handle everything yourself, but even the most talented innovators need a team. Surround yourself with people who complement your skills and challenge your thinking.

Solution: Build a diverse team from the start. Don’t just look for people who agree with you—find those who add new perspectives.

5. Moving Too Fast (or Too Slow)

Speed is crucial in innovation, but both extremes can hurt you. Move too fast, and you might miss critical details. Move too slow, and someone else will beat you to market. Finding the right balance between attractiveness and feasibility is key.

Solution: Set realistic milestones. Keep momentum but don’t rush. Run the innovation marathon as a sprint.

In the end, mistakes are part of the innovation process. The key is to learn from them and keep pushing forward. Innovate smart, stay flexible, and remember—it’s the journey, not just the destination.

#innovationfailures #innovationpitfalls #innovationmistakes 

By Gijs van Wulfen

Keywords: Design Thinking, Innovation, Open Innovation