One last word from the DigitalNow conference, then I promise I’ll move on.

One of the keynote speakers was Jeremy Gutsche (pronounced “Goo-chay”), owner of the best title around — “chief trend hunter” with TrendHunter.com. He also holds an MBA, is a chartered financial analyst and a former management consultant, and is an ex-business director and innovation lead with Capital One.

Oh, yeah — he’s only 30.

Anyway, the theme of his speech was “Unlocking Cool,” but so many of his points are dead-on messages for business innovation. Here are just a few:

• “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” Gutsche said. “If the culture isn’t ready for it, your strategy won’t matter.”
• Crisis equals opportunity. The most successful reaction to crisis often is, “We’ve got nothing left to lose. Let’s go for it!”
• A significant percentage of your creations (or ideas, or strategies) must fail. I love Gutsche’s analogy for this one: To climb bigger hills, you first have to give up your seats atop the small hills. “Complacency,” says Gutsche, “will be the architect of your downfall.”
• Innovation starts with observing your customers in their zones. Get close to your customers in their environments and find out what’s important to them.
• And finally, reset your expectations. “There is no point in innovating,” Gutsche said, “if you think you already know the answers.”

Are you ready to become a business innovator? Give it some thought … and while you’re doing so, check out these related resources.

• Watch a video clip of Gutsche’s DigitalNow presentation.
• Visit TrendHunter.com.
• Sign up for Trend Candy, Gutsche’s free weekly e-newsletter.
• View photos from DigitalNow here and here.