Sometimes inspiration strikes, and other times you have to make the ideas happen. Here are five methods to help you identify your next venture.
Zero Draft
If you are starting from scratch, this method should help you find the core of your business. Write down everything you know about the subject you are interested in, then everything you want to know about a topic, and then a reflection on why it is important to you. Finish by jotting down anything else that came to mind while doing this exercise.
Blue-sky thinking
One of the biggest barriers to creativity is giving yourself limitations. This method aims to remove them. Think big and be bold. These sessions are open to all ideas, no matter how outlandish, without concern for process or practical restraints that could stand in the way. Even if there’s a lot thrown out that will never come to life, one lighting-bolt idea could inspire a new conversation that would not have happened if people were thinking pragmatically.
SCAMPER
This method is based on the notion that new ideas come from modifying what already exists. Each letter of SCAMPER stands for a different technique.
S – Substitute: what parts of a process could be replaced?
C – Combine: two products coming together to create efficiency.
A – Adapt: could a service be changed for a better output?
M – Modify: changing a process to make it more innovative.
P – Put to another use: could this product be used to solve a different problem?
E – Eliminate: what part of this process is not necessary?
R – Reverse: what would happen if production was switched around?
Reverse thinking
While thinking of a new idea is usually framed in positive terms, this method asks you to begin with the worst-case scenario. For example, how can we make the works customer-service experience possible? By answering that question, you discover what to do to make sure this does not happen.
Mind-mapping
With this method, you come up with something by thinking about the relationship between ideas. Start with a central theme and then connect it to related ideas in an expanding, non-linear diagram. It is a useful tool for building upon problems you want to solve and breaking complex ideas into more manageable parts.
Content originally publised in Courier Media’s How to Start a Business 2023
