How to think creatively as a Small Business Owner.
Updated: May 30, 2021
Thinking creatively is one of the greatest assets that an entrepreneur or a small business owner will have in their arsenal. It is what separates their business from their competitors and helps them capitalize on the target market. So, how you can you become more creative with your thinking? I have read multiple articles, watched seminars, researched the internet, etc. and this post goes into detail on how to achieve your desired level of creativity.
The brain
Do we really understand the true power of the brain? I don’t mean to ask this question from a scientific standpoint. I am asking this question from a personal standpoint, and that is how well do you know yourself?
There is the conscious mind which is the “reality” that we choose to see and then there is the subconscious mind which is the reality that we have created for ourselves. What truly differentiates the two is the power of decision making. As a small business owner this is a crucial skill to have – the ability to make sound decisions when it comes to reaching your business objectives. This is the point that many of us get stuck at and start thinking, “What do I do now?”, “I am stuck”, “This is the end of the rope”, or “ I can’t do this because of that.”
The brain is a problem solving machine, it always was and it always will be. The brain or the thinking ability is what has gotten us to this point in the human species. Being able to build surreal architecture, talk to people across the globe and even go travel across the oceans in a matter of hours . How? By understanding what we want, gathering the necessary information and then implementing solutions.
It seems at times that the evolution of technology has hindered our capabilities to be problem solvers by bringing forth algorithms, solutions, tools and resources. However, I think that these could also be used to our complete advantage. Living in the times we are today, there are three ways that help you think differently and problem solve. These are the power of the internet, creative inspiration and asking questions.
Enter the digital age
We have the capability to know anything that we want with just a couple clicks of a button. We have access to encyclopedias, webinars, tools, communication channels and various other resources. Whatever line of business we are in, someone, somewhere in the world, has a one that is similar to ours or even the exact same.
In this age, people love sharing information through blogs, social media, YouTube, etc. and it is up to us to use these channels to capture that information for our benefit. Whenever we are seeking to grow our business, we need to be able to have a complete picture of what our ideal business state looks like. From there we can do a quick search on some topics and questions related to the topic and gain insights into how to achieve the smaller milestones. If you're thinking about going digital, check the free course!
Small Business Creativity
For Small Business Owners, creativity has to be its most valuable asset as it is the unique selling point of their business. However, creativity does not just come out of the blue unless you have a quality information and experience inside your brain.
For example, if you are an interior designer, you should constantly be looking any and everywhere for design inspiration. This could come from taking a walk in the park, researching architecture, observing the ripples on the water or even textures of a fruit.
Having a state of mind where you can find inspiration in the smallest of things is a huge advantage when it comes to running your business. It will help you cross-reference your knowledge and experience, that may seem unrelated to your business, back into your business. Tying those various things together to achieve a successful outcome is a skill to have as an entrepreneur which is also known as “thinking outside the box”.
So, what do you do?
For anything that you find inspiring in your everyday life, think “How can I use this in my business?”. If the answer is “I can’t” or “Oh, I could do this…”, use the power of the internet to research. With everything going digital, I guarantee you that if you want something done for your business you will be able to find a way to do it. Just ask the question.
Let us use the interior designer example again. You are walking through a park and notice a very unique bark pattern on a tree. You absolutely love it and your mind starts wandering on the many places that you would love to have the design. Then you get stuck on the “How?” – that’s when you hop on your computer and start Googling all of the questions you have pertaining to your implementation. You could search:
Tree bark interior designs
How to create tree bark designs for home
What materials resemble tree bark
Wooden designs for homes
Asking the right questions
The better questions you ask the better answers you will get – it is as simple as that. So how to ask better questions? Research. The more you research the better understanding you will get on the topic you are seeking. Then using the knowledge that you have gained you use it to ask better and higher quality questions.
Say you are seeing a fruit for the first time and someone tells you it is an apple. If you want to understand more about it you would proceed in the following manner:
What is an apple? Apple is a fruit.
Where does it grow? It grows on trees all over the world.
What does it taste like? The taste of apples varies depending on the type of apple.
How many types of apples are there? There are over 7,500 different types of apples.
What makes them taste different? Depending on how they are grown, where they are grown and the molecules present in it.
What kind of molecules are in apples? There are many different kinds, however, apples are known for a high concentration of water, glucose, sucrose and fructose. It is also high in Vitamin A.
As you can see by building on information that you have previously acquired, you start asking higher quality questions to get to understand what an apple is on a holistic level. These are known as probing questions.
To sum up
These will be the 3 basic steps to think differently:
Be inspired – find inspiration in everything you do. This is not just for the sake of your business but it helps broaden your personal perspective on life.
Research – gather information and learn everything you can to help you bring together the pieces that are composed within your goals.
Ask questions – each question you ask should be better than the last. It should be a well articulated question so that the answer could be just as specific.
The goal of these 3 things is to feed your brain high quality information so that it can use its ridiculous processing power to deliver solutions and innovations for your business.
At LxP Digital my goal is to help you understand your digital options when you are trying to take that next step in your business. So, go ahead and book a free call with me and let me answer any questions you have on "digitizing" you business. We can also discuss business strategies and ideas, it's completely up to you!