When starting your new business venture, you have tons of great ideas - new ways of doing business, cool new products, fantastic and much needed new services. But after you start your business venture and you're off and running, are you still approaching your business with the same creative mind? Martin Zwilling, Founder and CEO of Startup Professionals suggests in his most recent article on Forbes.com, Entrepreneurs Need Creative Thinking After the Idea that you're not.
Albert Einstein once said that 'you can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it'. So how can you get out of your own head and get creative with your business again?
Mr. Zwillig suggests six different ways to reframe your mind in his article including changing the way you speak, think and look at things in life, setting intention and pretending to be what you want. But when you need an idea and you need it now, here are three simple ways to start brainstorming.
1. Add, multipe and divide. I went to a T Harv Ecker seminar once and yup, I bought the book, "Secrets of a Millionaire Mind". Now, before you completely write me off. I took away a very powerful idea that day that is good to apply to your business. It's the idea of:
- Adding a zero
- Multiplying by 100
- Dividing by 10
In business when we look at revenue projections, production numbers or sales, we sometimes impose limitations on ourselves. Sure, it feels feasible to say that this year you're going to do $100,000 in revenue. But what happens if you 'added a zero'? What would changing that $100,000 to $1,000,000 do to your business? What new ideas might you think of to help you reach that number? Try that exercise - or take a production number and multiply by 100 or divide the number of accounts each of your sales reps has by 10. Take the numbers that you work with in your business every day and play around with them. Add, multiple and divide and see what kinds of ideas that sparks.
2. 101 Post-Its. When we brainstorm, we can often come up with 10 new ideas pretty easily. But those ideas are usually the pretty 'safe' ones. At 10, you're just scratching the surface - and you're probably self-selecting. You don't usually get to the really hair-brained zany stuff until at least 50 ideas in. But those hair-brained zany ones are sometimes the ones that can make the biggest and most positive change in your business.
Here's what you do. Buy a pad of Post-Its (I prefer the colored ones). Start writing down ideas. Don't stop until you've reached 101 (so number them!). Then go and post them all on a wall and start grouping them when you see a theme or a pattern. That in and of itself might spark an idea! Then look at each group and see if there's a 'big idea' admist the little ones. You might have a couple of ideas regarding your process, your customers, your products and services. Or maybe different people that you could partner with to drive your business further. Whenever you're feeling stuck. Sit down and devote some time - and a pack of Pads to solving it.
3. Take One & Pass It Around. This is one of my favorite brainstorming techniques when working with a large group of people. Here, you take a stack of note-cards. Each person gets 10 notecards. Each person then has to brainstorm 10 ideas and write each one down on a separate notecard. The notecards get shuffled and then passed back out. Each person takes their new stack of 10 notecards (with 10 ideas that are NOT their own) and writes another idea below the first. Once complete, they pass their stack to the right and the process begins again. At the end, depending on how many people you have in your group brainstorm, you'll wind up with anywhere between 50 - 100 new ideas that are all built off of each other.
So take a page out of Mr. Zwillig's book - and don't let your creativite spark go out.
Pamela Pekerman is a lifestyle correspondent, spokesperson and host focusing on helping you accessorize your life! From the ring on your finger to the rug on your floor, millions of women count on her trusted opinion. Whether she's sharing the latest finds on your morning show, reporting on trends or being quoted in your favorite magazine, Pamela is doing it all with her trademark wit and approachable personality. Now, Pamela's turned her star power into a complete platform for showcasing brands she loves to her uber chic and super-connected friends. Her Acessorize parties are attended by celebrities, reality television stars and media darlings alike. And, did we mention that she's generally just the fun, upbeat type of person that we like to be around?!? You can find out more about Pamela and what she's been up to recently by visiting her profile here.
