Co-authors Douglas Ferguson & Karen Holst have spent the last 20 years in the trenches bringing new ideas forward within organizations. They have learned what it takes to launch innovation within a company and has covered the gamut of organizational types from state government agencies and military armed forces to startups and large public corporations. Reflecting upon these experiences, they noticed that while no one company or organization is like the other, there are common patterns that were almost universal. Assembled from these observations and insights about innovation and bringing new ideas to life, the Start Within framework was created to provide a way to assess your situation, how it relates to the unique nature of your company, and what tools and actions are appropriate for you to move forward.

In the book, Karen and Douglas argue that most of us already have everything we need to enjoy a fulfilling career in our current companies, if only we can push for the big innovative changes we care about. This type of intrapreneurship can be challenging, which is why the book outlines a process ranging from accessing organizational preparedness to prototyping, and how to turn a "no" into a "yes."

I learn more about the story behind Start Within and their mission to help anyone who wants to innovate within their company, take ownership of their work, and design the career of their dreams.