Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Inspiration for Small Business Owners

Hugging my neck, comforting my feet and embracing my legs are my favorite pieces of clothing which are actually a phenomenal invention from someone who had to brave the elements. My Under Armour cold gear is essential whether I’m cross country skiing in the outdoors that sometimes can resemble the environment in the movie The Revenant or just sitting at my home based business office desk right next to large windows with 20 mph winds bashing through the glass. There is no way I could operate comfortably without this wondrous line of clothing.

Under Armour started in 1995 when Kevin Plank, then the special teams’ captain on the University of Maryland football team, noticed that the cotton T-shirts he and his teammates wore underneath their pads were always drenched with sweat. “There has to be something better,” he thought. He didn’t realize at the time that this one, simple statement would launch the performance apparel industry.

If you wonder where new trends or businesses start, sometimes they do because of simple observations and statements like Kevin’s. Two decades later, Under Armour makes the world’s most innovative performance footwear and apparel. Under Armour gear is available all over the world and worn by elite teams and athletes….and even every day people like me trying to stay warm inside and outside in Syracuse, New York.

Today I encourage you for moment to think about Kevin’s statement “There has to be something better,” and apply it to your entrepreneurial industry. Think about products or services you wish your industry had that made your life simpler, more enjoyable, easier or better. If you are a women entrepreneur and you have been in business for more than 5 years (longer than Kevin played college football), you have witnessed needs of your customers or your own that might be the next big development in your industry or the world.