The Benefits of Brainstorming
Brainstorming can have a positive impact on your business, especially when you are looking for new ways to expand or improve your product or services. The daily work of being a small business owner is time consuming, and we often get wrapped up in the details. When do you step back and take a look at the overall picture to consider how your business is doing?
But as a small business owner, you may not have time to sit around and just think.
The Problem with Brainstorming Finding the time often starts with outsourcing administrative tasks, but once you sit down to brainstorm, then what?
That’s part of the problem, according to studies that show group brainstorming is ineffective. Those studies show that forced brainstorming sessions leave introverted people out of the discussion and that people are more likely to come up with more and better ideas on their own. These scenarios often point to the traditional image of corporate brainstorming: a bunch of people in a conference room with a whiteboard and sticky notes.
Small business owners do things a little differently than corporate America. (Cheers to that!) For you, the feedback received during brainstorming can be an effective tool when considering new ideas or changes to your business. You might already do this with your spouse or friend.
Top Tips for Effective Brainstorming Effective brainstorming is possible for small business owners. The approach is simply a bit different:
[if !supportLists]● [endif]Find one to three people you trust.
[if !supportLists]● [endif]Meet somewhere less formal than a conference room, such as a coffee shop.
[if !supportLists]● [endif]Don’t organize the event as a session and instruct people to “think outside the box.” Instead, propose a topic or change related to your business. Perhaps pose a question about something you are doing or considering. Ask for feedback and thoughts.
[if !supportLists]● [endif]Schedule a recurring event, so that chatting about your business and tossing ideas around becomes normal behavior. Some groups are organized for this purpose, offering a place for small business owners in different fields to meet and ask each other questions. If you can’t find one to join, perhaps you could start one. (Bonus: networking opportunities!)
[if !supportLists]● [endif]Be sure to schedule your own “brainstorming” session to reflect on that feedback or produce new questions to ask your team. During this time, get out of the office. Maybe it’s during your daily exercise, or maybe while you take a lunch break.
[if !supportLists]● [endif]Sometimes taking a class is a useful launching pad for big picture thinking. As you learn, your brain might connect ideas you had not previously considered.
Find more time to think about the big picture by hiring Argosy for small business solutions. We’re happy to brainstorm with you during our regular calls. Contact us to learn more.
