Of course, creativity is a fundamental tool, and techniques to generate ideas exist a lot, so we will not try creative techniques, if not other types of processes, that based on creativity will activate our mind as if it were a source to generate ideas Innovative ways to develop business.
If we start thinking about cold, it is difficult to arise, so to start with something, we propose these 7 steps with dynamics to generate ideas:
- Identify an attractive customer segment related to our innovative business ideas:
Think of a target customer segment, a customer with whom we feel like working, knowing, and empathizing. Sometimes it happens that we think of clients whose profile is so different from our tastes, hobbies, behaviors or ideals that we find it very difficult to identify with them. Therefore, the first step is to find a client segment those appeals to us and to specify it to the maximum, in order to be clear who the customer is and to empathize with it.
Thinking about the target customer is how the business ideas are most likely to succeed.
Example: Couples between 30 and 40 years, with small children between 3 and 10 years, who work and do not have time to play sports. It is a segment of customers specific enough to be able to work with it.
- Finding what problems our client segment has:
In this phase we want to find problems in our customer segment, which are the starting point of many methodologies, such as lean startup. It is time to start generating innovative ideas. But the first step to know “how business ideas are generated” is not focusing on solutions, what we are looking for in this phase are problems. What problems we think our client segment has and for that, we will use some techniques, such as the technique of game storming.
- Generate lots of problems with Gamestorming:
The technique of Gamestorming helps us to generate innovative ideas following the same creative process that follows our brain. In addition the techniques of Gamestorming allow us to put into practice games for generating ideas.
Here we show you the phases to generate them.
In the first phase, starting from a creative challenge, we are generating ideas in a divergent process. It is the warm-up phase of our brain, as if it were an athlete who must perform a competition. For the warm up, some creative games are proposed.
In the second phase, what is done is to explore, generate more ideas , more better, order them, classify them, establish relationships.
In the third phase, what we do is a convergent process, to select the ideas and finally stay with the best ones.
In each of the phases different techniques of creativity are used, which allows us to open ourselves to a divergent thinking, of generating business idea, a process of exploration and finally the filtering of the same ones.
- Canvas of Proposal of Value and Early Adopter:
With the value proposition canvas and Early Adopter, what we do is empathize with clients, know what behaviors they have, what goals they want to accomplish, what actions they take and what problems they cause them.
Generally, the problems are those that we generated in the previous phase, but sometimes they are generated new, simply by the fact to put name and surnames to the target clients. It is a process that is worth doing. (You can download the Canvas of Value Proposition and Early Adopter in our resources page)
The canvas of value proposition focuses on two fundamental boxes of the Osterwalder business model canvas. The boxes of customers and value proposition. At the beginning of any idea, they are the fundamental parts of the business model, because without customers or without value proposition, there is no business.
- Propose solutions to problems detected:
Once we have target clients and problems to solve, what we do is find solutions that satisfy those customers. The process of generating solutions (which will lead to innovative ideas for companies) can be based again on the technique of Gamestorming and of course the star tool in every process of creativity are the Posits.
- Identify benefits and select the most appropriate solution:
Identifying benefits is important to make a selection of all the ideas we have had to solve the problems. We will choose the solution or solutions that bring the most benefits or solve the most pressing problems of our clients. The selection process is best done with team members, because it is better to have different perspectives to choose the best option.
- Go outside and talk to clients (get out of the building):
Going out to talk with clients is the fundamental step to check if everything that we have devised is actually fulfilled. Most processes fail because entrepreneurs with a good business idea are left without this step, without checking if their ideas are based on real needs. It is necessary to check the starting hypotheses, before launching ourselves to build a prototype, investing time, money and illusion in a project that may not be worth it.
Therefore, as we usually advise, market research must do it yourself. You’re the one who should talk to customers. You’re the one who should do the problem interview.
And of course as a last step is crucial to know how to present a business idea, as key step to get financing, investors and especially customers.
At this point a good strategy for online marketing, positioning strategies and social networking will also help you bring your innovative business idea to the end.
Shital regularly contributes on recent health articles and healthy living ideas to health blogs around the web. When she’s not busy working with the jobs, you will find her undertaking many of her own health-related topics and healthy living ideas! She has a lot of dreams. She works hard to fulfill her dreams. She loves to share her ideas, tricks, tips and information by blogging. She also works at Creativejasmin.com, a company that committed to helping businesses with online marketing.
