Rethinking Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Work in Between
What does it actually mean to innovate, and how is that different from being an entrepreneur?
In the latest episode of Making New Possible, Glenn Reid offers a grounded perspective shaped by decades of experience building products, companies, and ideas. As a serial entrepreneur and former engineer at Apple, Glenn challenges many of the assumptions people make about innovation, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to turn ideas into something meaningful.
Glenn draws a clear distinction between innovation and entrepreneurship, arguing that while the two often overlap, they are fundamentally different disciplines.
Innovation Isn’t the Same as Entrepreneurship
One of Glenn’s central ideas is that innovation and entrepreneurship are too often treated as interchangeable. In reality, they serve very different purposes.
Entrepreneurship is the act of building something real — organizing people, resources, systems, and execution around an idea. Innovation, on the other hand, is the pursuit of new ideas themselves. Not every entrepreneur is truly innovative, and not every innovation should become a business.
That distinction matters because modern startup culture often glorifies ideas without acknowledging the discipline required to execute them well. Glenn emphasizes that having endless ideas is rarely the challenge. The real challenge is focus: deciding which ideas are actually worth pursuing and committing the time, energy, and people necessary to bring them to life.
Why Frustration Often Fuels Innovation
Throughout the conversation, Glenn returns to a recurring theme: frustration.
Many meaningful innovations begin when someone encounters something inefficient, broken, or unnecessarily difficult and decides it should work better. Rather than treating frustration as a negative force, Glenn sees it as a powerful catalyst for creative problem-solving.
“Irritation is the mother of invention,” he explains, a mindset that reframes annoyance as opportunity.
This idea also shapes how he views entrepreneurship. People often leave stable organizations for one of two reasons: they see a compelling opportunity, or they become frustrated enough with existing systems that they decide to build something themselves.
The Problem with “Innovation” Inside Large Organizations
Glenn also offers a candid critique of how large organizations approach innovation.
Many companies promote innovation publicly through labs, initiatives, or internal incubators, but often struggle to truly support unconventional thinking internally. Short-term performance pressures, rigid systems, and organizational politics can make experimentation difficult.
As Glenn describes it, large organizations can develop an “immune system” that unintentionally suppresses innovation.
This tension creates a difficult environment for intrapreneurs — people trying to create new ideas within established companies. While organizations may say they value innovation, they often hesitate when new ideas challenge existing structures, priorities, or revenue models.
The result is that many talented innovators eventually leave to build independently, where they have more freedom to pursue ideas fully.
Execution Matters More Than Endless Ideas
Another major theme of the conversation is execution.
Glenn pushes back against the belief that success comes from constantly generating new concepts. Instead, he argues that long-term impact comes from the ability to focus, build strong teams, and follow through consistently.
Ideas alone are easy. Execution is difficult.
That means knowing when to say no, recognizing which opportunities deserve attention, and surrounding yourself with people who can transform insight into action. For Glenn, successful entrepreneurship is less about chasing every possibility and more about building something durable with intention.
Key Takeaways
Innovation and entrepreneurship are related — but not interchangeable.
Not every new idea needs to become a company.
Frustration can be a powerful driver of meaningful innovation.
Large organizations often struggle to genuinely support experimentation.
Focus, execution, and strong teams matter more than endless ideation.
Through his conversation on Making New Possible, Glenn Reid offers a practical, honest perspective on how innovation actually works — not as a buzzword, but as a process shaped by curiosity, frustration, discipline, and execution.