Thinking outside the box is a quality most small business owners have, and you often need to constantly come up with new ideas. However, sometimes this requires a little extra effort.
Creativity is essential for small business owners. It helps you innovate, become more productive, adapt to changes in the marketplace, and grow to meet the demands of the future, according to Harvard Business School. Creativity can also help you solve problems (both for your customers and within your business) and stand out among the competition.
It’s easy to get into a creative slump when you’re running a business day-to-day, though. Here are some strategies to help you continuously feed your creativity.
Ask yourself a few questions
When you’re striving to get your creative juices flowing, start by asking yourself a series of questions:
- What problems am I trying to solve?
- What can I improve about my existing products or services?
- What new customers do I hope to reach? And, how can I reach them?
- How does this align with my mission and values?
- What do my customers need?
This technique will let your thoughts stream. Jot down some notes for each question, which you can refine later and turn into actions.
Get together in person
Even if your team works remotely or on a hybrid schedule, gathering in person occasionally is an effective way to connect and generate ideas. When you’re in a room together, you can bounce ideas off one another and get immediate feedback. Your ideas may inspire others’ ideas, which can come together to become something great.
In-person brainstorming sessions encourage critical thinking, allow you to consider other perspectives, and help build a team mentality, according to Anne Converse Willkomm at Drexel University. To keep everyone focused, center the time around a single goal or question.
Take a break
Small business owners put in long hours and are always thinking about their companies. While this is necessary, it can lead to burnout. Taking a break is good for your health, but it can also boost your creativity. Many small business owners report finding inspiration when they spend time outside, exercise, watch TV, go to the movies, read, or hang out with friends, family, or other small business owners.
Your ideas may inspire others’ ideas, which can come together to become something great.
Try a SWOT analysis
Evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of an idea is an effective way to brainstorm, according to the SMB Center. Looking at all angles can help you work through business issues, come up with solutions, and develop new ideas. A SWOT analysis helps you “reflect on your organization while also guiding you to take necessary actions for improvement,” according to the Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School.
Use mind mapping
Take out a pen and paper, and try this brainstorming technique for developing and organizing ideas around a specific theme, according to the Project Management Institute. Mind mapping involves writing down a central idea and then drawing branches off of that with related ideas, concepts, data points, and other details. Then, make connections. Having this visual will make your ideas easier to grasp and remember.
Don’t overly rely on search engines
Online search engines are a useful tool for discovering what’s already out there and identifying needs in the market. But over-relying on internet searches could actually stifle your creativity, according to a recent study. This may be due to “fixation effects,” or the idea that when a solution to a problem comes to mind, people sometimes struggle to think of alternate solutions.
CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.
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