Innovating Through Adversity: How Challenges Sparked Breakthroughs at HastingsNow.com | Ep.07

Image Photo Credit: HastingsNow.com/ashley
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Historical Insight – Necessity as the Mother of Invention

Across time, challenges and constraints have often been the catalysts for innovation. During WWII, resource shortages led to inventions like synthetic rubber. In the business world, startups in recessions famously find creative ways to do more with less. This pattern echoes an old proverb: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Even management icon Steve Jobs believed in focusing by saying no – “Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.” goodreads.com When we look at HastingsNow.com’s journey this past season, we see this age-old dynamic play out. Faced with obstacles and limited resources, the team turned constraints into creative breakthroughs. The concept of “vibe coding” that co-founder Peter mentions is a perfect example. With big ideas and a small team, they couldn’t pursue every opportunity. Instead, they hacked together quick solutions – coding by vibe, following intuition and immediate needs – to test what worked. As Peter put it, “Knowing that basically anything is possible for a couple [of] hacks has been enlightening. The hardest choices revolve around letting opportunities go.” In other words, focusing on a few promising experiments (and explicitly not doing everything) was key to their progress. This aligns with cognitive science views on creativity: constraints force clarity. As one creativity researcher noted, “Constraints, far from being opposed to creativity, make creativity possible.” rachelaudige.medium.com With limited time and budget, HastingsNow.com had to innovate smarter and faster, much like an artist creating a masterpiece with a limited palette.

Present Challenge – The AI Education Gap

One major challenge the team faced was how to evangelize AI technology in a community that wasn’t quite ready for it. Peter reflects on their attempts: “We tried doing workshops over a year ago and AI [was] not being discussed, shared and acknowledged…so we are moving online. There is a better chance we help people in other countries that want to utilize this technology today.” This must have been frustrating: imagine passionately offering free AI demos at local coffee shops, only to find lukewarm interest. But that hurdle led to a breakthrough strategy – taking workshops virtual and global. By pivoting to online “vibe coding” sessions and webinars, HastingsNow.com tapped into an audience beyond Hastings that was hungry for AI knowledge. Paradoxically, pulling back from trying to convert every local skeptic freed them to find receptive learners elsewhere. And as awareness of AI grows (which it certainly has, given ChatGPT’s explosion onto the scene), locals are now circling back, curious about what they missed. In essence, that initial challenge forced HastingsNow.com to refine its approach and build scalable online content, which is now an asset. It’s a case of constraint breeding innovation: limited local uptake pushed them to create digital products (like AI strategy guides, YouTube soundbite tutorials, etc.) that serve a wider community and can be repurposed locally when the timing is right.

HastingsNow.com launched an AI workshop at Geek Haven in 2023 with the goal of educating local leaders about the fundamentals and applications of artificial intelligence. This initiative aimed to increase awareness and understanding of AI technologies within the Hastings community. Image credit HastingsNow.com/peter

Breakthrough Innovations – Soundbites to STIVA™️

Co-founder Ashley shares another challenge: “The Soundbites we started in early 2025 were a great idea but it was being underutilized. Transitioning from Soundbites to STIVA™️ storytelling while the app is being built is allowing clients to get comfortable with sharing their stories.” Here we see agile innovation in action. Soundbites – call the number and leave a 30 second short-form audio story – didn’t take off as expected. Maybe users were shy to record themselves, or the format needed more context. Instead of scrapping the idea, the team evolved it into “STIVA™️ storytelling.” STIVA™️ — Stories with Text, Image, Video and Audio, Ashley hints is a step-up: a way for clients to share narratives more comfortably, perhaps with a bit more structure or via a guided app interface. The breakthrough lies in meeting users where they are. If people weren’t ready to spontaneously post 30-second audio clips (the Soundbites concept), HastingsNow.com pivoted to gather those stories in a more supported way (perhaps interviews or curated snippets). They’re even building an app to streamline it: brands will become verified, record Soundbites right in the app, and submit content all in one place. In essence, the challenge of low adoption led to a more robust solution – an app that integrates storytelling end-to-end. This reflects a principle often seen in tech innovation: an initial flop isn’t failure, it’s feedback. The team’s willingness to pivot from one format to another, keeping the core goal (amplifying local voices) intact, shows resilience and creativity.

Philosophy – Embracing Constraints and Iteration

What’s happening under the hood of these stories is a mindset shift. HastingsNow is embodying a growth mindset, seeing challenges as opportunities to learn rather than roadblocks. Where someone with a fixed mindset might lament, “We tried workshops and nobody came – I guess folks just don’t care about AI,” Peter and Ashley instead thought, “How else can we reach people? What if not here, then elsewhere?” That perspective is powerful. It’s echoed by Jeff Bezos’s insight: “Frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the best ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.” rachelaudige.medium.com HastingsNow.com had to be frugal with efforts and resources, and they invented their way out of tight spots – by changing tactics, repurposing ideas, and doubling down on what worked. In academic terms, constraint-based innovation is well documented: studies have found that teams with limited resources often come up with more creative solutions than those with abundant resources rachelaudige.medium.com. The HastingsNow experience is living proof.

Consider also Peter’s remark about letting opportunities go. It’s tempting for a budding startup to chase every shiny object – to try every social network, every content format, every possible client request. But saying no strategically can be the real innovation. Steve Jobs, in full, said he was as proud of what Apple didn’t do as what it did goodreads.com. By narrowing focus, HastingsNow.com unlocked “vibe coding” productivity – essentially rapid prototyping on the few things that mattered most. The breakthroughs (the Local Pigeon app development, the STIVA storytelling approach, the online expansion) all stem from consciously choosing one path and shelving others. This is a valuable lesson for any local entrepreneurs or community leaders: sometimes you innovate not by adding more, but by simplifying and zeroing in on the core challenge.

Local Tie-In – A Resilient Hastings Spirit

In a way, HastingsNow.com’s adaptability reflects the character of Hastings itself. This town has seen floods, economic shifts, and the ebb and flow of downtown business – and every time, it bounces back with a new idea (think of how the old Hudson manufacturing site became apartments and a riverside park, or how local shops adjusted during highway construction downtown). The “breakthrough under pressure” narrative is one Hastings residents know well. Now, in the digital age, that spirit continues in the realm of media and tech. The community may not have flocked to AI workshops initially, but now HastingsNow.com has an app on the horizon that could put our town on the map for hyperlocal innovation. Imagine the pride when Local Pigeon (the app) launches and Hastings residents become early users of a homegrown platform – it’s the result of months of behind-the-scenes pivoting and problem-solving.

Moreover, the lessons learned by HastingsNow.com are being fed back into the community. Peter and Ashley’s experiences are often shared in HastingsNow.com’s content or chats with local business owners. A struggling shopkeeper might hear, “We had a project that didn’t fly at first either, but here’s what we tried next…” This peer learning strengthens our local business ecosystem. It encourages others to approach their challenges – whether it’s a seasonal sales slump or a marketing conundrum – with the same experimental, never-give-up attitude. To underscore this, we can borrow the wisdom of Steve Jobs one more time: “People think focus means saying yes, but it really means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.” goodreads.com HastingsNow said “no” to distractions and comfort zones, and “yes” to the hard, focused work of turning trials into triumphs. That example may well inspire the next wave of Hastings entrepreneurs to do the same, ensuring that our community not only survives challenges, but thrives because of them rachelaudige.medium.com, goodreads.com.

Sources: HastingsNow Co-founders Interview; Bezos quote via Business Insider rachelaudige.medium.com; Margaret Boden on creativity and constraints rachelaudige.medium.com; Steve Jobs focus quote goodreads.com.

Local Art Teacher, Bert Casperson, teaches students how to make sustainable pottery.