Simpleology Blog

You have to push yourself to learn something new everyday--or else you'll be stuck in a time warp. You don't want to be pushing products that are outdated, do you?

The task of keeping up with what's hot and what's not in the market can be overwhelming. You often suffer from information overload as various experts come up with advice on how you can continue to be competitive in the long run.

Geoffrey Hammett, who takes part in marketing operations for a convenience store chain, figured out how to re-energize his company's promotional activities. "I realized that most of us had gotten stuck with concepts that had been used over and over again," he observes. "So, I thought perhaps we should go back to the basics and learn to see what we were doing with fresh eyes."

With his mind set on out-of-the-box solutions, Geoffrey got hold of the Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap and let it spark some exciting ideas for the company. He relates: "The Cashmap made it possible for me to present alternative ways of generating ideas for our promotions."

Geoffrey lists the following ways to crank up novel concepts for re-energizing his company:

1. Hook up with devil's advocates. It's not enough for you to decide to do something because it's nice or because you think it's good. You have to focus on something that's really important to you. You have to get into the mindset of being in it for the long haul. To test your commitment, arrange a meeting with three of your friends or colleagues. The sole objective of that meeting would be for them to put you on the hot seat and detail all the things that could go wrong with the business you plan to put up.

2. Compete with yourself. While it's been said that you're only as good as the people you compete with, being caught up in cutthroat face-offs with your competitors will just screw up your business. You don't want to taint your company with this kind of vibe. If you do so, you won't be able to feel stable--and neither will your clients. You'll spend so much time looking over your shoulder that you'll soon forget to prioritize product development or improving your service. In order to reap the rewards, you must go out of your way to exceed your expectations in every aspect of running your business.

3. Play hooky from time to time. Just as it's a bad idea for you to remain locked in your ivory tower, you should also not rely on strict brainstorming sessions for ideas. You have to understand that being focused doesn't mean you have to stick to structured thinking. Take a walk around your neighborhood, watch TV shows you don't normally pay attention to, and, perhaps, you may even ask your Magic 8-Ball for guidance. Once you let yourself loosen up, you'll generate more ideas than ever.

"If you want your business to be at the forefront of the industry," states Geoffrey, "you must have a steady influx of fresh ideas. Big companies often over-analyze this undertaking and make it needlessly complicated. This was why I had to use the Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap to get back to the basics and come up with potential promotional schemes that are direct to the point. So, whether you're just starting out or even if you're already a corporate giant, you can learn a thing or two from Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap. Who knows? The idea that it spawns may very well be the next big thing.

Dreaming of making a big splash in the business world? Check out the Small Business Start-Up Action Cashmap.