Many people complain about not having enough ideas, be it for their online business, a personal project, or another area of their life.
But it’s just that they haven’t tried a different approach to generating ideas.
Inspiration is everywhere around us. What we need to do is open our eyes for it, look for new ways to combine ordinary things, for unusual uses of something common, for the trends in the industry but also what hasn’t been tried yet.
If you still have a hard time coming up with an online business idea, here are some creative ways to do that today:
1. Study other markets.
Sometimes, it’s smart to take a look at a completely different field so that you can move your brain a little and get your creative juices flowing.
You may be offering hosting services, or trying to build an eCommerce brand. Whatever the case, look outside your current field and find inspiration where others aren’t searching for it.
Explore new fields, do your research but for other markets this time, study the law of business to make sure you’re prepared for any unpleasant situation. Try to combine stuff that’s seemingly impossible to be put together. Let your imagination fly.
What if you could apply the mindset of an investor to how you start your business? Or maybe you need a more philosophical point of view to stop thinking so logically and find out something new to give a try?
2. Fill the gaps.
Look for what’s missing in your competitors’ businesses, try to find a problem people have for which there isn’t a practical solution yet.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to think of an original online business idea, you just need to offer something better and new.
So why not check out how other people in your niche are doing business, and think of a way to offer the same but in a faster, easier and simpler way?
This isn’t stealing, but innovating and giving people a better solution to their struggle.
3. Go back to your childhood.
Children are idea generators. No one really takes what they do seriously, but there may be potential in some of the things their mind gives birth to.
Spend some time with children, see what they are working on, ask them questions about it.
To some extent, they are much more creative than adults as failure just isn’t an option for them, they choose to dedicate time only to stuff they are passionate about, don’t compare a current project to any other, don’t have any doubts or insecurities, and just go with the flow and don’t listen to anyone else. For them, there’s nothing impossible.
All that makes the process simple. They think of something crazy, stupid or in which no one else finds meaning, and can dedicate hours or a few days in a row working only on it.
There’s a lot we can learn from children about finding ideas and turning them into reality. So invest some of your free time to get to know their way of thinking, to see how they approach a new project, and – ultimately – to get some online business ideas.
4. Learn a new skill.
It’s proven that learning new skills helps you improve other areas of your life and makes you more creative in general. You begin to find creative solutions to existing problems, to be more innovative, to react to daily issues differently.
The skill doesn’t need to be monetized later or to be a good investment now. Make sure you have fun, though, and try to learn the ins and outs.
Be it learning a new language, playing the guitar, self-defense, web design, public speaking, writing fiction, taking a course in photography, or else.
You’ll be amazed at how this will change you in so many ways. You’ll then use your new abilities to come up with a great online business idea that hasn’t been seen yet.
So what different, new and unusual action will you take today to start generating ideas, and how will you apply it to your online business?
