Creativity for Entrepreneurs

Do you want to be a successful entrepreneur? Then you need to predict the future needs
of your customers. How can this be accomplished? Through creativity.
Being creative simply means being imaginative by thinking beyond the standard
response.
In this section you will learn how to:
• access your creative side
• breakthrough mental blocks.
Ways to Unlock Creativity
Thinking is important to success.
But sometimes we’re blocked or stuck on a problem.
Sometimes, people are stumped by thoughts that block their creativity.
Here are some typical mental blocks to creativity:
• Follow the rules and be practical
• That’s not my area, I’m not creative anyway
• There’s only one right answer
• If I make a mistake I might look foolish
Excuses for Avoiding Creative Thinking
1. We tried that before
2. It costs too much
3. That’s not my job
4. It’s too radical a change
5. We don’t have the time
6. We don’t have enough help
7. We’ve never done that before
8. We don’t have the authority to do that
9. I don’t like the idea
10. You’re right but…
11. We’re not ready for that
12. It isn’t in the budget
13. That’s good but impractical
14. We did alright without that
15. Has anyone else done this before?
16. That won’t work in our company
17. It’s too much trouble to change
18. It’s impossible
Ways to Unlock Mental Blocks
• Look for the illogical
• Break the “rules”
• Be impractical
• Embrace ambiguity
• Identify alternatives
• Look for more than one right answer
• Take time to play
Based on: “A Whack on the Side of the Head” by Roger von Oech
Using the Extraordinary
Ask yourself, what solution would be:
• Impossible
• Impractical
• Illogical
• Risky
• Cost a fortune
• Cultural taboo
• Politically incorrect
“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and
then going away to do the exact opposite.”
-G.K. Chesterton
Using the Ordinary Ask yourself:
• What is the simplest, quickest, and/or cheapest way to achieve this?
• What if technology was not available?
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work.”
- Thomas Edison
Creativity Applied
Here are some ways you can apply creativity in your business:
Decision Making Methods
• Multiple Voting- A group decision-making technique designed to reduce a list of
more than ten ideas to a manageable number.
• Rank Ordering- A group decision-making technique designed to provide a visual
display of the degree of agreement on a list of ten or fewer ideas.
• Structured Discussion- A group decision-making technique designed to lead a
group to consensus on a list of five or fewer ideas.
Idea Generation Methods
• Brainstorming- A group decision-making technique designed to generate a large
number of ideas through interaction among team members.
• Nominal Group Technique- A group decision-making technique to generate a
large number of ideas of through contributions of members working individually.
• Start-Stop-Start Technique- A group decision-making technique to generate a
large number of ideas through team members studying best practices and then
taking a break for a few days before meeting again to brainstorm