Entrepreneurs Need to Get Into a Creative Habit

Copyright (c) 2010 Julie Austin

Creativity block isn't an option for those who make a living being creative. These people know that you have to get into a creative habit to consistently crank out new ideas.

It's no different for entrepreneurs. Every day is a new creative challenge. How can we balance our budget? Get more customers? Create new marketing strategies?

Facing a blank slate is daunting, but you have to start somewhere. Warming up your creative brain is similar to a runner stretching. Stretch your brain with new knowledge, new music, new input. Do something different every single day. Whether it's driving down a new road, watching a new TV show or listening to a different point of view, try to stretch your brain as much as possible.

Get in the habit of coming up with as many new ideas for your business as you can. Create mind maps and start filling them in. Set a goal that you will come up with 10 new ways to get more customers. If you want to focus on a task, setting goals will help you do it. Don't edit yourself. Just reach the goal of 10 new ideas and keep the ones that make sense.

Your business should always have idea files for new ideas. This should be for new products, new services, new markets and new ways of doing business. Put all of your research and notes into the files as you come up with them. You may not need it now, but keep it handy for the future. You never know when trends are going to change and you want to be ready to change with it. Be ready with new ideas.

Figure out what kind of atmosphere gets you in your creative "zone". Is it a ritualistic cup of coffee or a certain kind of music? I found that writing a page of "stream of consciousness" nonsense will spur me to start writing. Do something. Anything. But just get started.

Instead of jumping right into making sales calls, I always call a friend first. It's just a way to warm up, so to speak, before launching into calling a stranger.

There's no reason you have to create all by yourself. You can get your creative juices flowing by brainstorming with someone else. If you talk it out you might come up with a completely different outcome. And input from someone else may give you ideas you wouldn't have come up with yourself.

The bottom line is just to get in the habit of doing it every day. The more ideas you come up with, the better your chances of having one of them be brilliant.