Today we’re talking about creative problem solving in your small business.
Let’s take a look at how we can creatively solve problems that creep up in your business.
Creative Problem Solving Starts Here
A Story About Creative Problem Solving
I want to start out with a simple story that will help us frame the types of situations we sometimes end up in, when we’re a business owner.
In my home, we were always running out of spoons… our kitchenware set came with a set of 4 spoons, 4 forks, and 4 knives, etc.
But we use spoons for our smoothies, to feed the dog twice a day, to measure ingredients, and then regular eating, too.
We kept having these funny moments of “we don’t have any clean spoons left!”
So what did we do? Instead of continuing to argue or wonder what was wrong with our spoon usage… we just bought more spoons.
Now this isn’t a commercial about buying more spoons. It’s not really about the spoons.
But it is about seeing what’s not quite working optimally. So maybe your shopping cart system doesn’t automatically send people a welcome email and you need to personally email people their logins after they buy.
Or maybe you’ve evolved your business into a service or role that you never intended to create, and it’s slowly driving you crazy to keep up with it.
You have permission to get creative and solve these issues, right now!
Just because it’s always been done that way, doesn’t mean you need to do it that way too.
My big caution to you is this: do not operate your business from a “default” position… actively decide what you want to create, so you don’t wake up years later wondering why you’re in this business at all.
How To Stop Issues From Lingering In Your Business:
1. Notice what’s not working, what feels wonky, and what drains you.
2. Write it down so it’s just a fleeting thought. When you write it down you give the problem a little more brain space, and you can start to think of solutions for it. Sometimes just writing it out helps you see how you can shift it easily.
3. Get into a brainstorming session with yourself and a mentor or friend… Write down all the possible ways you can solve this problem, even if it doesn’t seem realistic.
4. Take a step back and re-assess why you’re in this situation currently: sometimes we’re so close to the problem that we can’t see the big picture that might be holding the key to solving this in a much more elegant way.
So that’s it for this creative solving process. The most important step is to get conscious about what’s working and what’s not working in your business, you can you redirect your thoughts to fixing the issues as soon as possible.
What Needs A Tweak?
Let me know what little things in your business could be improved, and how you plan to get more spoons to rock your business.
