Find Your Next Awesome Idea: 21 Resources for Business & Life
Article by Kimberly Manning
Photo Credit: Mariana Garcia
Magazine: Issue #25
21 Resources for Business & Life
Ideas are the currency of the future. As a Holistic Fashionista, your ability to come up with great ideas and turn them into things your customers need and will buy is key to your livelihood.
Going to the well for innovative ideas doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are some places to look for new and exciting ideas.
1| Your competitors. Do what they do, differently or better.
2| Your own life. What would make your life easier? What pisses you off? What problem needs to be solved? Solutions to these may make your life better while also being the answer to your clients’ challenges.
3| Kids. Inspirational fonts.
4| Nature. Take a walk outside or watch The Blue Planet. Did you know bees are a great model for business operations?
5| Your employees. They see things you may not.
6| Brainstorming sessions. Duh.
7| Customers. They can help you spot and develop new products, services or maybe even a new industry. Listen to their feedback.
8| Focus groups. Gather a posse of potential clients and let ‘em riff. Take notes.
9| Meditation. Quieting a busy mind allows Divine sparks to light up your life.
10| Play ball. Spin, or shake your Zumba. Studies show that those who exercise regularly score higher on creativity tests than their couch potato peers.
11| Other industries. Can you morph what they’re doing into something unique for your business?
12| Sci-Fi. Or other movies. Seriously. Good. Inspiration.
13| Books. Be a voracious reader. Ideas live in every genre.
14| Be present to life. Simply paying attention to your daily experience will show you opportunities.
15| Make art. Do improv, or learn a musical instrument. Opening your creative side will make you more aware and receptive to new things, including ideas.
16| Hang with smart people. Take them to lunch, go to a Science Pub Night or Poetry Slam or chat up a new FaceBook group.
17| Make some new friends. Ideally outside your industry. Cross-pollination, different perspectives and such.
18| Take a class. At your local community college, Udemy, etc. In your field -- or something wildly different.
19| Look at existing products with a fresh eye. The “patch” as a delivery system for drugs is a spiffed up Band-Aid. What can you transfer to your biz?
20| Get out of Dodge. Someplace foreign is best. Psychologists say multicultural experiences facilitate the complex cognitive processes behind innovative thinking. That’s a nice souvenir.
21| Give yourself a test. Being open to new ideas means your mind has to be plastic. Pop quiz: Think of as many uses for a brick? A strand of tinsel? How many uses you come up with, the originality and elaborateness of your ideas are key. “Testing” yourself may just shine light on some great insight for your business.
