Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Innovations from unexpected avenues

Entrepreneurial innovations of corporate world get noticed and lauded by media. Some innovation or the other happens in unexpected way every day from unexpected corners of the world as well.

I visited Coimbatore over the weekend and this is what I heard. A vegetable vendor, most probably owns a small farm has found a unique selling model. He loads farm produce in his truck and drives to city by himself every week. The price is fixed at Rs. 20 and the number of vegetables is fixed at 9. The quantity and the choices of vegetables is variable based on the season. He will come with a chart that will clearly state the vegetable name and the quantity for that week. If you give Rs. 20 and your basket, that will get that filled with a week supply of vegetables for a family of four. It is truly a win-win model. The farmer does not waste any time and money on packaging, preservation, etc. People are extremely happy getting a week worth of vegetable for Rs. 20 (approximate 40 cents). Entrepreneurial innovations are not just the mantra of corporates !

No comments: