Gifts for Innovators
Coming up with gifts for innovators and entrepreneurs is always tricky. We’re often the quirky, early-adopters with out-of-the-ordinary needs and wants. We made a shortlist of our favorites for this year to add to your wish list or gift list.
AirPod Pros
AirPod Pros are one of those items on everyone’s holiday list, but not for a reason that you might think. I had a chance to test out these bad boys, and without a doubt, this is a must-have this season. Apple’s tagline is “Magic Like You’ve Never Heard.” It rings true. The first time I put them inside my ears I heard a “whoosh” of silence. It felt like the outside world was whooshing away and I was sucked into a cocoon of noise-canceling goodness. It was like getting the superpower of focus back. I can’t recommend these enough. Grab a pair at Apple.
Testing Business Ideas
I read a ton of books and talk to a ton of authors for our InsideOutside.io podcast. My friend David Bland has one of the best new books out there this season, and it’s a must-have in every innovator’s bookshelf.
We talked about Testing Business Ideas on Episode 166 of the podcast before the book was released, and now that’s it’s out, I can’t recommend it enough. The book is a hands-on, practical, tactical, and no-nonsense exploration for how to effectively test business models and new ideas. Testing Business Ideas is the third book in the Strategyzer series of required reading for any entrepreneur/innovator.
Bonus Gifts for Innovators:
To get a jump on next year’s book that will be on my list, check out Alexander Osterwalder’s The Invincible Company: Business Model Strategies From the World’s Best Products, Services, and Organizations
Contacts+
Your network is a key resource for any innovator, and Contacts+ is my go-to contact organizer. It enables me to manage and keep up-to-date my network of mentors, founders, partners, investors, and collaborators. It’s easily the most intelligent contact management app I’ve ever used. It de-duplicates and cleans my contacts and automatically updates the bits and pieces, so I don’t have to. Contacts+ syncs across all my devices and with iCloud, Google, and Microsoft. It even scans those old-school business cards I collect while traveling around the world. Check it out at Contacts+
Airtable
One of my #NoCode “go-to applications” is Airtable — Part spreadsheet, part database, almost all-powerful. We use it for organizing, managing, collaborating, and running The IO Summit. Every day it seems to add functionality, powerful features, and hundreds of templates to get going fast. It’s also got a killer community of collaborators and tool-making users willing to share and help newbies. Check out Airtable.
Makerpad
Speaking of the #NoCode Movement, I highly recommend you take a look at the fantastic Makerpad resource center. For a $197 annual subscription, you can have access to over 100 tutorials and resources to learn to build tools and workflows without needing to code.
Perfect for any innovator looking to brush up on new skills or new tools to build out your next prototype or MVP. It’s also a great community to look for and hire vetted experts and makers in the no-code arena.
Other Gifts for Innovators?
So there you have it, five fresh gifts for innovators. Have any ideas to share, send them our way.
Happy Holidays!
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