Keith Krach, CEO, DocuSign appears on a panel at Fortune Brainstorm TECH, July 16th, 2014 in Aspen, CO. Photo: Fortune Brainstorm TECH | Flickr CC.
When most people think of leading businesspeople and how they achieved success, possessing a big imagination never seems like something that helped them get to the top. Sure, entrepreneurs and successful CEOs are often innovators in their fields, but are they really able to flex their creative muscles in a way that will create big changes in big business realms?
As it turns out, channeling one’s imaginative ideas into actual products and services is exactly how some businesspeople have made a name for themselves.
Just take Keith Krach, the CEO of DocuSign. Krach’s seemingly impossible vision of eliminating pen-and-paper business transactions has resulted in a $3 billion e-signature company that is on its way to replacing paper signing completely. Having a visionary idea has allowed DocuSign to thrive, and has attracted investors like Bain Capital, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Intel, to name a few. “I saw an opportunity to change the way business is done and to build something that’s built to last,” says Krach of his drive to continue to propel DocuSign forward.
Another incredibly imaginative idea comes from Babak Parviz, the founder of Project Glass, who wants to take the Google Glass prototype a step further. According to Wired, “He suggests a long-range plan to do away with the bulky glasses and build a microsystem on a contact lens.” This idea sounds very futuristic and even a little Sci-fi, but if executed effectively, Parviz could have a multi-million dollar business on his hands. Not to mention that if he partners with Google or another tech giant, the possibilities for applications of this project could be limitless.
Wired also lists other big ideas that could spark massive changes in the world of business, tech, and beyond. Stephen Bates wants to build skyscraper out of diamonds, and Caltech chemist Harry Gray wants to fuel the planet with mircomachines, for example. These ideas might sound utterly impossible, but if supported by the right business-minded individual, they have the potential to change the world as we know it.
Maybe having an imagination really does matter in the world of big business after all.
