In the News

September 2021 Anglisticum Journal — Institute for English Language and American Studies, “Mechanisms of Cultural Innovation Activity in Higher Educational Institutions”

“Innovations can be classified as evolutionary or revolutionary stabilizers (Osolind, K. (2012), ‘Revolutionary vs Evolutionary Innovation’, RE:INVENTION Consulting, available at: www.reinventioninc.com/revolutionvsevolution).”

November 2016 O’Reilly Media, Inc., ISBN: 9781491995099, “Guidelines for Keeping Pace with Innovation”

“All organizations change, regardless of whether employees are prepared and ready,” says Kirsten Osolind, Partner and Founder of RE:INVENTION Consulting. “Change impacts the entire ecosystem of an organization, from employees and customers to strategic partners, vendors, the supply chain, and processes/procedures. Change leadership works best when you invite the entire ecosystem to help you rewrite the storyline.”

October 2016 Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, “Innovation in Education: What Works, What Doesn’t, What to Do About It?”

“Innovations can be categorized as evolutionary or revolutionary (Osolind, 2012), sustaining or disruptive (Christensen and Overdorf, 2000; Yu and Hang, 2010). Evolutionary innovations lead to incremental improvement but require continuity.”

November 2015 Small Wars Journal, “The Dilemma of Defense Innovation and Adaptation”

“Of further necessity is the recognition of two types of innovation, and two types of human problem solving in the DoD. Revolutionary Innovation is seismic, disruptive and transformative…In contrast, Evolutionary Innovation (Osolind, 2012) is continuous, adaptive improvement.”

September 2015 Training Magazine, “Playing to Win: Simulations-Based Training”

“Students at Nebraska’s Bellevue University needn’t quit their day jobs to complete their mandatory internship. Instead, Bellevue is pioneering a virtual internship using simulations…’The virtual internship has three components: acclimation, assignment, and evaluation,’ explains e-learning consultant Kirsten Osolind…Interns are expected to develop written and audiovisual presentations, blog posts, and status reports, and engage in real world activities such as a ‘learning tour’ in which students meet with actual companies and vendors.”

March 3, 2014 CBS Interactive, “How LEGO Became the World’s Biggest Toymaker”

“Lastly, the company has improved its execution. Kirsten Osolind, president of RE:INVENTION, explained that it “stopped spinning its wheels” and focused on key steps to shed its declining margins of the 80s and 90s. Here are her thoughts: LEGO shortened go-to-market development time, built ‘change readiness’, stopped ‘desperately pursuing’ uncontrolled innovation, reorganized to improve accountability and decision-making, shed its unrelated businesses, and ultimately improved their innovation success rates.”

Spring 2014 Car Wash Magazine: Innovation Issue, “You Don’t Have to Fail”

“‘You need to be obsessively mining information about your customers,’ said Kirsten Osolind, president of RE:INVENTION, an innovation consulting firm. You can use market intelligence to conduct planning, test services, develop customer loyalty programs…delighting and customers and then giving them what they don’t yet know that they need is one of the most important parts of being an everyday inventive and reinventive company.'”

February 28, 2014 ReignDesign, “Ten Things You Need to Know About iBeacon”

“Kirsten Osolind, President and COO of RE:INVENTION Consulting, recently said ‘Beacon technology could improve the way consumers use smart phones and transform numerous industries by solving the indoor geo-location challenge. It has great potential.'”

February 9, 2014 Small Business Trends, “Apple iBeacon is a New Location Tracking Alternative”

“Apple introduced physical iBeacons at its retail stores recently. Several are strategically placed throughout the store and as a customer walks around, the beacons trip off messages to that customer’s iPhone…Kirsten Osolind, President and COO of RE:INVENTION Consulting, observes: ‘Beacon technology has potential to facilitate better mobile payments thereby disrupting the whole credit card ecosystem because of its range.'”

November 26, 2013 Motley Fool, “Don’t Discount Whole Foods’ Appeal Just Yet”

“At the time I said Whole Foods Market didn’t have such need for such Big Brother databases, but as RE:INVENTION Consulting’s president, Kirsten Osolind, commented, they do indeed collate such valuable customer information — she helped design the grocer’s database — but gathered it through its gift card program and a store newsletter…”

October 16, 2013 “iMedia 2013 Agency Awards Finalists Announced”

“iMedia Communications, Inc., the leading event and publication company for the senior marketing community, announced today the finalists for the 2013 annual iMedia Agency Awards. The awards recognize the most future-forward agencies and campaigns in digital marketing. RE:INVENTION, a market intelligence and innovation consulting firm, is a finalist in two categories, ‘Best Agency for Performance Marketing’ and ‘Best Video.'”

October 12, 2013 Business2Community, “Resource Optimization Moves Startups Forward”

“‘Invest in homegrown technology only where it differentiates your product or services,’ recommends Kirsten Osolind, President at Reinvention Consulting….’Your technology will mature with your start-up. In the meantime, many start-ups can now rely on a scalable cloud infrastructure to meet core computing needs…Cloud solutions allow smaller businesses more flexibility and resilience to quickly change in response to shifts in consumer demand.'”

September 2013 Retail Leader, “Creating a Culture That Works”

“‘Hire for culture first, skill second,’ suggests Kirsten Osolind, president of RE:INVENTION, inc… ‘At first blush, a good company culture doesn’t appear to translate into higher returns on investment, but it does,’ Osolind says. ‘Culture can be measured and quantified, and can be consciously cultivated using new technologies.'”

September 2013 Inc. Technology and Comcast, “A Guide to Jumpstarting Technology

“‘Businesses invest in technology in two ways: in the products or services themselves and as enablers to support underlying business processes and value chains,’ says Joe Barrus, senior business transformation consultant at RE:INVENTION, Inc., a market intelligence and innovation consulting firm…Barrus suggests organizing a technology plan into start-up and sustaining phases…”

September 2013 San Diego Magazine, “Women Who Move the City

“President of RE:INVENTION, inc., Osolind’s innovative consulting firm helps companies grow and transform. She’s been a mentor and adviser to numerous women-led start-ups and women-focused incubators. She serves on the advisory board of the International Stevie Awards for Women in Business, is a CONNECT San Diego Entrepreneur in Residence, and volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club.”

August 8, 2013 Medium, “Crowdfunding As a Gamechanger

“RE:INVENTION President Kirsten Osolind also sees a positive future in crowdfunded equity investment, but a long road to widespread acceptance. With the JOBS Act and pending new policy formulation, many are speculating that equity crowdfunding could be the real game changer.”

February 2013 Enterprise Europe Network, “Create a Profitable Business Via Novel Product Innovation

“Commercializing ideas (‘bringing them to market’) is increasingly tough in today’s noisy world. It takes discipline, process, support, metrics and reward systems to turn great ideas into sustainable value. RE:INVENTION’s 12 ‘C’s’ of Commercialization Model (Osolind, 2013) outlines the challenges of commercializing inventiveness, helping companies define strategic growth objectives, interpret big data analytics gathered from consumer/customer research, and translate findings into the design and launch of compelling/differentiated new products and services.”

October 8, 2012 AMEX OPEN Forum, “The Ten Easiest Ways to Blow Your Marketing Budget

“Kirsten Osolind, President of Re:Invention Marketing, wisely advises that ‘every marketing activity should be attached to a measurable goal. If it’s not, you probably shouldn’t be doing it. A measurable goal could be number of leads, number of new contacts, number of meetings, opportunities, deals … and revenue dollars.'”

August 21, 2012 U-T San Diego, “Fast Fashion Retail Explodes in San Diego

“‘The fast fashion retail sector presents special operational challenges because of the time crunch,’ Osolind noted. ‘Products need to be changed out rapidly. The production time is as little as a few months, compared with up to a year for traditional retailers. Company teams must be able to spot trends, handle rapid prototyping of products, determine lean production methods and handle shipping logistics…Retailers who can’t keep up have good reason to worry.'”

July 23, 2012 U-T San Diego, “Retail and Small Business Update

“Fashion Valley’s alliance with a local blogger and its use of social media are promising tools for fostering customer engagement, which should drive more people to the stores,” said Kirsten Osolind, president of Re:Invention, a marketing and innovation consulting firm based in San Diego and Chicago. “Simon is one of the few retail property groups that provides true ‘destination retail.'”

June 2012 “Michigan in Motion” Radio Show

During a recent guest spot on the “Michigan in Motion” radio show, RE:INVENTION’s CEO discussed startup innovation and seven deadly startup sins. Listen to Part I and Part II of the podcast to learn more.

November 2011 American Business Magazine, “How to Win Awards

RE:INVENTION’s CEO explains how companies can win and leverage business awards to boost their company’s reputation.

June 2011 Catalyst, “Illinois R&D Innovators”

Osolind is featured as a guest columnist in the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition Catalyst Quarterly Report.

May 2, 2011 San Diego Business Journal, “INNOVATION: Company Hits Pay Dirt”

“Historically, women have been more likely to start retail and services businesses,’ said Kirsten Osolind, chief executive officer of RE:INVENTION, inc., a marketing consulting firm in Coronado. ‘The picture has changed. A growing number of women are starting firms in nontraditional industries like engineering, construction, transportation, even commercial and residential demolition contracting like Rapid Fire Demolition. Entrepreneurship gives women a chance to compete on equal footing with men in their industries.'”

April 22, 2011 Sign On San Diego, “San Diego’s Unrecognized Women Leaders”

RE:INVENTION CEO Kirsten Osolind is featured in a highly controversial op-ed about San Diego’s Ernst and Young Awards Program.

November 22, 2010 Private Label Buyer, “No Kidding Around”

“‘Overcoming that perceived risk demands financial investment — an investment many retailers aren’t willing to make,’ says Kirsten Osolind, CEO of Coronado, Calif.-based marketing and public relations firm RE:INVENTION, Inc.”

August 17, 2010 Private Label Buyer, “Trading Its Way to the Top”

“‘Relying on private label allows Trader Joe’s to structure themselves as operationally efficient as a company, working to develop exclusive supplier deals,’ adds Kirsten Osolind, CEO and founder of RE:INVENTION Marketing, a marketing consulting firm based in San Diego, Calif. Osolind was national marketing director for Whole Foods in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a position from which she closely watched Trader Joe’s.”

June 21, 2010 Wall Street Journal, “You Too May Be A Winner”

“‘Show measurable, quantitative achievements such as percent growth, number of employees, new-client wins, new-product launches, growth in the customer base,’ says Kirsten Osolind, founder of RE:INVENTION, inc., in Coronado, Calif. ‘Even mention endorsements that you’ve received from folks such as customers or bloggers.'”

February 25, 2010 Ad Age, “The Talented Jerk Versus the Sweetheart Hack”

“As Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION Marketing, observed, ‘Leaders need to use their best judgment at all times. Effective leadership depends on situation, context and timing. One leader’s most appealing trait can be another leader’s downfall.'”

April 3, 2009 Bloomberg/BusinessWeek, “Ms. Mills Goes to Washington”

“‘Karen Mills, a rare woman venture capitalist and economist with leveraged buyout experience helming the SBA, signals significant change,’ added Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION Marketing.”

January 20, 2009, U-T San Diego, “The Speech, Finding the Right Words for a Momentous Occasion”

“‘Obama’s gift for oratory lies as much in his delivery and body language as it does in the words,’ said Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION, a marketing and public relations firm based in Chicago and Coronado…”

June 18, 2007 PRWEEK, “FaceBook Polls Offer Low Cost Way to Gauge Interest”

Earlier this month Facebook launched a polling feature that lets users post a question and up to five responses on its site… “You can’t refine demographic targeting, deliver multi-part questionnaires, ask open-ended questions, conduct cluster analyses, or verify response data statistical significance,” points out Kirsten Osolind, RE:INVENTION CEO. “Still, Facebook polls have the potential to be a powerful reputation-building tool.”

June 15, 2007 MarketingNews, “Get Into the Groove: Tech Helps Target Market Subsets “

“New lists with ever more detailed demographics help parse customer segments more narrowly. New reports culled from existing information enable marketers to zero in on subsets of existing target markets…RE:INVENTION Inc., a Chicago-based marketing consultancy, had to create its own report. Working in partnership with a venture capital research firm, RE:INVENTION created a database of women-led businesses with more than $1 million in annual revenue, a prime target for its host of outsourced marketing services.”

March 2007 INC Magazine, “The Investors Have Come Calling”

“Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION, a marketing firm in Chicago, was approached by a potential investor during the summer of 2006. Osolind had recently shifted her company’s client base from small companies to large ones and learned that big clients tended to pay their bills more slowly. This had created a cash-flow crunch and made her more receptive than she might otherwise have been to an offer of an investment…”

Feb/Mar 2007 BusinessWeek, “This Time It’s Mine”

“In 2003, women-led firms received 4.2% of the $19 billion in venture capital invested that year, according to a study by Growthink Research, a market research firm, and RE:INVENTION, a Chicago marketing firm that helps clients….”

January 5, 2007 MarketWatch, “Your January Tax To-Do List”

“Kirsten Osolind, chief executive of RE:INVENTION inc. in Chicago, Ill., reminds us about the flip side of that flood — the folks who send out 1099s. Osolind has become quite an expert on the subject, since she’s spent the last five years sending out 1099s to her team of independent marketing professionals…”

January 4, 2007 Baltimore Sun, “Suited for Politics”

“Too often, says Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION inc., a marketing agency that helps corporations sell more of their products and services, female politicians are excoriated for fashion choices that are too feminine or fierce…”

October 5, 2006 Intranet Journal, “Podcasting, Wikis, and Blogs, Oh My!”

“Kirsten Osolind of RE:INVENTION, inc., a boutique-marketing firm that helps corporations market their products and services, says, “Our blog has evolved into an insights library for corporate marketing executives. It’s become a much more significant marketing tool…”

October 2006 TCW Magazine, “Lifting the Fog Off the Blog”

“‘Women use the Internet for building communities’ says Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION, inc., a full-service marketing company…”

Aug 11, 2006 Crain’s Chicago Business, “White Hen vs 7-Eleven: Battle of the Brand”

“The White Hen pantry name could be flying the coop. ‘The deciding factor will be how consumers perceive the White Hen brand and how that stacks up against the 7-Eleven name,’ said Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION, a Chicago marketing firm. ‘…7-11 has a stronger brand than White Hen, even regionally.'”

August 9, 2006 Chicago Tribune, “Entrepreneurs Become Desirable Slice of Market”

“Osolind…started RE:INVENTION in 2002 to serve women-owned businesses but broadened scope…as more corporations sought advice on how to gain access to her clients. Now a large part of her business is helping Fortune 1000 companies gain the trust and patronage of small businesses.”

May 29, 2006 Chicago Tribune, “Change of Name Can Come With Risk”

“In a company where vision and values aren’t well communicated to employees, when..you’re rebranding or you’re integrating a new brand, you’re going to encounter challenges,” said Kirsten Osolind, chief executive of Chicago-based RE:INVENTION, inc. Osolind was the national marketing director for Whole Foods Market in 2002 when the company incorporated two regional store chains, Fresh Fields and Bread & Circus, under the Whole Foods name.

April 26, 2006 Fortune Small Business, “How to Play the VC Game”

“It’s the kind of women’s success story you might think was pretty common these days– but not so fast. According to the latest from Growthink Research and co-authored by RE:INVENTION of the 1,860 companies that received private equity funding in 2003, only 5%, or 84, of them were woman-owned…”

April 16, 2006 Fortune Magazine, “The Sky’s the Limit”

“It’s a cliché by now, in any discussion of woman-owned businesses, to say that they might grow much faster–or at least a lot of them would–if only they had access to venture capital. A study by Growthink Research of Venice, Calif., and Chicago-based marketing firm RE:INVENTION says that woman-run firms received only 4%, or $784 million, of the more than $19 billion in venture funds invested in 2003 (the latest numbers available).”

April 2006 Chicago Women In Publishing (April Newsletter)

“Kirsten Osolind, CWIP’s charismatic April speaker, is the avatar of virtual empowerment for women…Osolind embodies feminist ideals and makes them sell.”

April 2006 Lowes For Pros Magazine

“Having a business model in place that is repeatable, scalable and sustainable should be of continual importance,” explains Melissa Reinert, senior vice president of Chicago-based RE:INVENTION, inc. “In other words, grow a business that can thrive without you in it,” she says.

April 9, 2006 Omaha World Herald, “Passionate Patent Pursuit”

“‘There is no secret million-dollar invention strategy,’ said Kirsten Osolind, founder and CEO of RE:INVENTION, a Chicago-based marketing company. ‘It really requires you to have a practical toolbox of money and marketing and mentors. Passion and creativity are not enough.'”

April 3, 2006 Chicago Tribune, “Mentors Can Help Steer Past Pitfalls”

“Mentoring is critical, experts say. ‘For women entrepreneurs to succeed, it takes money, mentoring, and marketing,’ said Melissa Reinert, a senior vice president at Chicago-based RE:INVENTION, an integrated marketing firm.”

April 3, 2006 Crain’s Chicago Business, “I am @ Work Right Now”

“‘…Have standards in place,’ says Kirsten Osolind, CEO of RE:INVENTION, a Chicago-based marketing company. At Ms. Osolind’s company, a small business with six management members…’we’re a strong believer in the employee experience. We believe in being authentic.'”

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