If you work in an environment with creative people and they have the room to think for more than ten minutes a day, you’re probably going to see more than your fair share of great ideas. Sometimes these ideas are so powerful that it can be hard to resist them. However, even excellent ideas can be hard to implement, and sometimes it’s not worth the time or money to chase everything that looks like a moneymaker. In some cases, those “great ideas” can even distract significantly from the core of your business, and you may find yourself not catering to your clients the way you should be.
Still, some of those ideas may change your life and make your business a whole lot better. So, how do you determine which ideas are the ones you should pursue? Here are a couple of quick tips to get you pointed in the right direction.
“No” is a VERY Powerful Word
Of course you want to expand the business, and of course you should be thinking of ways to both please your customers and make more money. However, this can become a problem when you don’t use the word “no” enough. Let’s say one of your best ideas is to expand into a number of other services related to your niche. Your customers love this, and they jump on the opportunity to do more business with you. Unfortunately, trying to deliver everything means that you may have to stretch your resources more thinly than you can afford to do, which results in an overall dilapidation of the structure of your company.
If you provide computer repair and someone asks you to debug their computer, you can say no. It’s okay. You can’t do everything for everyone, and trying to do so can significantly hold back your company. Then, later on, you may be able to say “yes” to even better opportunities.
Focus Idea Creation
Having creative people is a good thing, and having them brainstorm when you need them to can also benefit you in ways you might not even know are possible. You should always welcome new ideas, especially since it can make employees feel like they’re contributing to the success of the company they work for.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t rope people in a bit. Try to get your creative minds to hone in on the idea of your business. What’s the core of your company? Try and get people to focus on that when they’re thinking of suggestions to make the business better. Every once and awhile, get your team together and discuss ideas that have been generated over the last few months and see which ones bounce the best.
Don’t ever say “no” to idea creation, but make sure you know how to structure it correctly so you know which “best” ideas are actually ideas you can work with. That way, your team can feel like you’re nurturing their needs and you can grow your company in a manner that suits you best.
