Innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand

People often talk about how entrepreneurs are naturally more innovative in their approach to business, often because they have to be. So it’s always interesting to see entrepreneurs around the world who see a challenge as an opportunity to do something differently and put their own spin on an existing idea of how business can be done. Whilst in New York recently, I learned about a group of entrepreneurs with a passion for winemaking, who set up the world’s first commercially viable urban rooftop vineyard in New York City - on the 14,800 square-foot rooftop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. When you think vineyards, a rooftop in the middle of one of the world’s most sprawling urban environments doesn’t automatically come to mind, but the team behind Rooftop Reds didn’t let preconceptions or established ideas about what is possible hold them back. Instead they looked to innovate, to collaborate with other industry leaders and academics to find solutions, and their rooftop state-of-the-art planter system is now about to reap rewards with the first wines to be produced ready for tasting. It’s a great example of how entrepreneurs innovate to make creative business happen.