Home
>
Small Business
>
Is This The Way Its Always Been Done?

Is This The Way Its Always Been Done?

Let's face it, we all tend to get stuck in doing things 'the way they've always been done', and creating products, or services, in a similarly conservative mode.

But there is another way. Why not take a new look at your business. Take the opportunity to have regular creative thinking sessions in order to break the mould. Just one session could start off a new trend.

The best way to do this is to organise a group of your own people, friends, customers, and anyone else you think can contribute, to sit round a table with you, for an hour, and literally set out to think creatively on the problem of the day.

Throw in a few sandwiches and coffee to kill two birds with one stone, by doing it at lunch-time. This is absolutely ideal for this purpose. Even introduce a little competition to encourage people to take part.

The first and most important decision you have to make, is to define the problem you want to solve, clearly and briefly. Thus, for example, you may be looking for a new service or product, which you can launch from the same premises, with the same basic overhead that your current operation already has. Or, you may be looking to name a new product line. Whatever it is, make sure you can define the problem simply and clearly before starting.

Having presented the problem to your ad hoc group, you ask them to come up with as many ideas as possible, including seemingly crazy ideas. Make sure that no criticism of any idea is allowed and that everyone understands you want as many ideas as possible.

Finally, get the ideas written up after the meeting, and circulated to everyone who participated, asking them first whether they have any further ideas, which have come to mind since the meeting. Secondly, whether any of the enclosed ideas could be combined together to make another idea.

You will be astonished how many good ideas come out of such meetings, and how many problems can be solved using this simple, but very effective technique.

If you are not sure how to go about brainstorming, as it is sometimes called, then there are plenty of useful sites on the Internet. I prefer to look at it, more as creative thinking, than a task.

Some ideas to help generate creative thoughts are:

1. Wishful Thinking Technique

By dreaming of your ideal situation or solution, you can often come up with something, which can have a similar effect, but in a more practical, and realistic way.

2. Random Word Technique

This is the most basic and creative technique, where you use a random word to generate new ideas. By taking a random word and forcing yourself to use it to solve your problem, you are practically guaranteed to attack the problem from a different direction to normal.

3. False Rules Technique

You take a rule, quote, idea or suggestion from somewhere else, and apply it to your own situation. It is known as a "false rule" because the rule has not been considered as valid before. By getting a false rule and forcing yourself to use it, you find yourself thinking about doing things in a different way than you would normally.

4. Analogy Technique

You use an analogy, or metaphor, of your own situation to find out how similar situations are solved in other fields. Analogies are very good for discovering things you had not realized about your own situation and thus enable you to develop solutions based upon them.

5. Role Play Technique

The best way of changing the way you see the world, is to see it from someone else's point of view. This technique allows you to change your perspective by getting you to be a different person and see how they would approach the problem There are several other techniques that can also be used to stimulate the group for ideas.

Why not try out some of these ideas, and drive your business forward in a different direction, or have another arrow to your bow.

Does it always have to be the same way as it has always been?

Bill Ritchie helps with developing home based businesses, startups, providing business ideas, giving tips on Internet marketing, plus writes the occasional article. He also runs a useful, informative website.

You're welcome to reprint this article online, as long as it remains complete and unaltered, including the "About the Author" info at the end.

elite cleaning services Mundelein ..

In The News:

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Is This The Way Its Always Been Done?

Small Business