The year of the start-up: How to boost your creativity
While many of us will remember 2020 for being the year of the pandemic, for others it was a year of celebration and creativity.
According to research by Tyl, 770,000 new businesses launched in 2020 and those who could offer online and mail order businesses thrived. Of course, this trend was spurred on by the poor state of the economy and business owners struggling financially. Many of those who started businesses were furloughed or been made redundant and so turned to their own skills and interests to create a business of their own.
Tyl’s research discovered that Leicester was one of the top cities for new businesses in 2020, coming in second to London when comparing the number of new businesses to the population. People have had to think outside of the box and for many have enjoyed great success as they tapped into the needs of people stuck at home and offered services and products that were needed.
If you’ve been inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the past year or so, or are a start-up looking for the next idea or venture, here are just a few ways of boosting your creativity in the months ahead.
How to boost your creativity in your start-up
Businesses should never rest, they should always be looking for the next trend to capitalise on and the next need of their customers. Here’s how to boost your creativity in your start-up.
Look at what other businesses in your industry are doing
No, this isn’t copying. As a start-up, you should always be checking out the competition to see what’s working for them or what they aren’t offering. Take a look at their reviews to see what customers think they’re missing and how they’re communicating their offering in their marketing. You may just spot the next best thing or a gap in the market that you can jump on.
Change your environment
Sometimes, when we’re trying desperately to be creative in that dedicated office space we find that our minds continue to draw blanks. Instead, get away from your workspace. Take a drive to somewhere beautiful, go somewhere completely new and explore the area or simply go for a walk and seek inspiration from nature.
Lean on others
If you’re the sole employee of your start-up you may feel that all the responsibilities of coming up with ideas and the success of your business resides with you. This definitely isn’t the case. Chat to friends and family about what they think you could offer or even reach out to customers for feedback to learn what else they’d find useful.
Embrace the ‘no such thing as a bad idea’ mantra
Jot down every idea you have and consider each one carefully. While the final result may be five or six steps away from what you originally came up with, that first crazy, out of the box idea could spur on others. If it seems impossible that means it might just be great.
Don’t rely on your screen
It’s time to go old school with a good old fashioned brainstorming session. A whiteboard or a large notepad is all you need to create mind maps and visual diagrams to work out what to do next. Writing ideas down can be helpful as it feels like it’s come directly from you instead of a computer and working with colour and images can inspire creativity along the way.
If you’re working with other people this can also be done virtually, there are a number of useful tools that allow you to collaborate easily.
Give these tips for boosting creativity a go and enjoy success in the years ahead with your start-up.
Photo by Josh Duke
