Creativity Optional

Creativity is optional

Creativity Optional

My whole premise is that you do not need to start a business based on a new product or service. But starting a tried-and-true business does not mean you are not creative. Many people assume that if they can’t think of an original idea for a business, that they must not be creative. Wrong! You need fuel to be creative.

Getting into any business that you start and then by default become responsible for everything provides a lot of fuel for creativity. I am sure you will soon realize, you are more creative than you think.

Many ideas spawn creativity

Subtle Creativity

As I said, owning and operating a business does take creativity, but is often much more subtle than might be imagined. Management and leadership skills are stretched and molded through creativity, as well as sales, marketing, and other areas you may not have thought of yet. Diving into any business and becoming an expert will find you immersed in your own, natural creative abilities. You will be running your business and seeing opportunities others might never see. It is exciting and invigorating.

Creative Thinking

Forcing Creativity

When I started my own journey and throughout my “in-between years” where I struggled, I felt creativity was the key to doing better financially, finding successful business ideas, and turning my situation around.I was certain that by studying and focusing on stimulating my own creativity the business ideas would flow. I bought books on creativity, flash cards on creativity, and sat with a piece of paper trying to be creative. That is tough. I took different routes to work, tried to ask more questions about everything, read unrelated material, and did any number of things that was supposed to improve my creativity. I just could not find that big new creative idea. It was hard and frustrating. It actually makes you feel not quite as smart and you might picture yourself. I never could get satisfaction about my inability to think of a new business idea, I never realized I was focusing my creativity incorrectly. I was trying to force it, it didn’t work.

Everyday Creativity

Creative solutions may be simpler than you think

I may not have the ability to create the next big thing from Apple, but I realized the business world is engulfed in the creative world. Business, for most people, is much more than income statements, balance sheets, sales, and personnel. Problems and obstacles are going to arise constantly. Many times those obstacles can be overcome using a standard solution but often will require some creative twist. Maybe an administrative assistant has too many documents to produce in time for a deadline and
, instead, outsources it so it can be on the boss’ desk for review. This isn’t an earth-shattering example but it is a good example of the kind of creativity that happens thousands of times a day in every business. Often we take our own creativity for granted because we may not feel we are artistically inclined. Creativity is so much more than just thinking differently or creating something new.

Relax and Execute

So relax, find any of hundreds or thousands of tried and true businesses. Just copy their success, and execute the heck out of it. You just do not need to be an inventor to find the $1,000,000 business idea. Start that tried and true company, get all the help you can, make that business plan, and put $1,000,000 in the bank.

Creativity from execution of plan