Why innovation fails inside smart companies

1 in every 153 U.S. workers is employed by Amazon. But Jeff Bezos started by flipping burgers.

So what changed?

A conviction. Not a random idea, but a kind of deeply-held belief that stems from frustration, validated by insight, and hardened by action.

But too often, companies ignore the earliest sparks of these convictions. They focus on structure, not serendipity—missing the real reason innovation stalls: no space for opinions to mature into action.

In this piece, Damien—Fractional CTO at MISSION+ and product builder across three continents—unpacks how to turn raw frustration into market-moving innovation. His framework? Practical, tested, and emotionally resonant.

Learn how to build a culture that nurtures opinions, transforms insights into action, and turns frustrated team members into unstoppable change agents.

Innovation Needs Convictions