Small business proprietors are expected to be resourceful and innovative in order to successfully operate their own enterprises. If you have an intuitive sense that imagination isn’t one of your strong points, is there anything that you can do to help get the creative juices following? Moreover, given the limited number of jobs in South Africa, surely creativity and innovation are essential to financial stability in a highly competitive environment.

Free Yourself

Many personalities can be characterised as ‘limited thinkers’. Their world is neatly trimmed, bounded, and placed squarely within in a box, and very little of any worth is allowed to exit outside of that box. If a “fact” appears in print, for example, then a limited thinker will regard it as being, without doubt, absolutely true and beyond challenging.

In limited thinking, there is a definite and well defined line between the possible and impossible, the right way to do something, and the wrong way. An entrepreneur should actively resist these types of thought patterns, make an effort to break away from polarised thought systems, and become ‘Unlimited Thinkers’.

‘Unlimited thinkers’ are in the routine of looking beyond supposed boundaries, outside of socially entrenched norms, deciding that some “rules” are there for the express purpose of being broken. Unlimited thinkers believe that with a bit of concentration a creative solution to the current problem can be found. These traits are the groundwork for creative thought processes.

Look Towards the Future

Creative ideas regularly arise when one ‘looks’ into the future. The sensation of thrusting yourself forward in time and seeing the problem resolved is an enormously powerful motivator. Would the same positive motivation be found in a thought habit that consistently looks towards the past? Attempt to be as future orientated as you can be: always look ahead, and imagine the solution that a future world would produce.

Write

If you manage to break down the constraints that keep one in rigid thought patterns, and unlock the creative potential of your mind, the joys of creativity will gradually come to fruition. The new and inventive ideas will slowly turn from a trickle to an unremitting flood. Capture your ideas by carrying a pocket notebook and pen with you. As soon as a new idea floats into your mind, write it down. Don’t feel embarrassed about how eccentric the idea is, even if it isn’t directly usable, it keeps the creative juices on tap, and might itself lead onto to another set of ideas that will prove useful. For example, don’t just think of cars for sale, imagine what type of client would purchase moon-buggy golf carts…

If you respond to the creative ideas by entertaining them, this in itself will further encourage you to be even more creative – in this way the powerful habit of creative thinking is developed

De-Clutter

If you believe yourself to be a naturally disorderly person, then try to break with the habit. A cluttered office will lead to a cluttered mind, and a cluttered mind often creates a cluttered work space. Your brain will not work efficiently when it is constantly reminding you how untidy your office is. In your attempts to develop creative thinking habits, remove all the clutter from your life and give your mind the space it needs to feel unconstrained.

Take Action

All the above tactics are very useful, but if you don’t act on your ideas, then you may as well not have bothered. An idea will remain nothing but an abstract thought unless a specific action is taken in order to bring it to life. Occasionally review your notebook and look for those hidden gems, or ideas which can be put into action immediately. Many ideas might prove quite unsuitable, or even blatantly unrealistic, but there might very well be an idea, or variation of an idea, that could be transformative if acted upon. Commit completely to move headlong on as many of your ideas as is possible.

Don’t be afraid to swim against the stream of conventional wisdom. Revolutionary insights cannot, by definition, come from simply accepting the norm as an immutable truth or optimal approach. If the role of the entrepreneur in the economy is to continually adapt practice to keep the market as efficient as it can be, then innovation and imagination are at least on an equal footing with an ability to accurately analyse market trends, compare banks, innovate on outdated modes of production, and fill market gaps.

Perhaps the Greek philosopher, Socrates, was right when he asserted, “action is knowledge”. Without action, we don’t achieve results, and without action, we never learn from our experiences of success and failure.

Any example could be used to support the above argument. Consider learning a new skill: you will only master the subject of your interest if you make meaningful attempts to spend time immersing yourself in it, or spending time practicing certain elements related to it. Whereas it is never wise to act rashly, to act quickly often proves to be a superior approach to new problems than over analysis, which often leads to a form of action-paralysis. If, for example, you would like to find out property values as you have an idea concerning the real estate market, consult a property index as soon as possible to get an idea of the feasibility of your idea.

Are you wanting to begin your own start-up, but are afraid of the variety of things that can go wrong? What if, for example, you lose your personal investment in your business if it goes under? It is true that whereas there are a plethora of problems and challenges facing new business ventures, there are numerous opportunities for successful endeavours, especially if you are willing to act quickly to meet challenges head on rather than become inert and ineffective by reverting to a mode of problem analysis. A good rule of thumb is to stay ahead of problems (and not let them overwhelm you) by adopting a positive “now or never” type mind-set.

Defeating Negative Emotions is a step by step process. Some of the following questions might help in keeping paralysing anxiety at bay:

• Do you have a reasonably well defined notion of what type of enterprise you’d like to initiate? A considered and clear plan or strategy will definitely assist in keeping those debilitating worries at a safe distance;
• Do you have adequate access to the resources you will need? This includes, but is certainly not limited to, start-up capital, market research information, human capital, etc.
• Do you already have a client list that you will be providing a product to, or services for, or will you be able to successfully market your enterprise to break into the relevant market?

If there is anything in your answers to the above questions that causes a sense of anxiety or apprehension, then consider making an itemised list to identify where you feel your plan is vulnerable and start brain storming possible solutions.

Despite the positive impact that the above itemised list of problem identification and problem resolution might have, don’t wait for the perfect plan to crystallise in your mind or on paper before making moves towards getting your start-up off the ground. In other words, MAKE AN IMPERFECT START.

There is no need to indulge every anxiety about the possible negative outcomes of your business endeavour, sometimes jumping in the deep end and thinking on your feet is more effective than simply actualising the neat plan you’ve put down on paper.

A final step is to let the anxiety drive you towards successful outcomes: use that nervous energy to give you the impetus you might need to meet and overcome challenges which might come your way. To adapt the Socrates dictum quoted earlier, we could write, “Entrepreneurship is action”: be always be proactive rather than retroactive in business.

Follow your passion

A successful businessperson loves what they do, and they have belief in the business. They don’t launch a business to pay bills. The natural businessperson loves dealing with people, loves the contest, has an eye for colour and design, feels energized when confronted by a challenge, and takes pride in their successes.

Learn how to run a business

You do not need a qualification to run a successful business. However, you do need to do the task effectively. All industries are dynamic: they have a life of their own, and change constantly. Constant learning is as important as business plans or hiring the right employees.

Write a Business Plan

The most common mistake made by new business owners is in believing that a business plan is only required if they need a loan. This really is wrong. Your business proposal can be a blueprint of the company. It outlines today’s budget and tomorrow’s plan of action. Without having a plan, a business will never grow beyond meeting this month’s bills and stocking this season’s products and hoping that things will improve. A huge aspect of a well-conceptualised business plan is market research: if, for example, your business plan relies on real estate development, then correct data concerning property valuation and your prospective client base is imperative. Poor research will result in an untenable business plan.

Start preplanning while still employed

The research and planning stage can take anywhere between a few months and a few years. Planning includes everything from bank comparison studies to value creation strategies. Smart entrepreneurs take time to develop a complete business on paper before they begin building the real business. Many entrepreneurs continue to be employed by other businesses once they open their doors to customers. After doing this, they then reinvest the earnings back into the business until it is sufficiently strong to cover both, the company’s as well as their own personal bills.

Know your customer

I have read many case studies where business owners describe the euphoric sensation of opening their doors on day one, anticipating a crowd for the grand opening sale, only to spend the next couple of hours staring into a vacant store. Joining business-networking groups, attending trade events and becoming involved with local organizations provides one with an opportunity to introduce yourself to the community, creating a buzz for your business.

Find a mentor

There isn’t sufficient time in the week to perform every task efficiently. It will not take very long before important jobs remain undone and your enthusiasm for self-employment dies. Join business groups, and locate coaches, consultants, and friends who’re prepared to offer advice and suggestions. Perhaps try to form or join a small group of business people who gather to brainstorm and share ideas.

Manage your time and hire help

Most small business owners cannot afford to hire professional help from agencies and established businesses. However, the world is packed with freelance professionals who are just as educated and experienced as their employed counterparts; however their services cost must less. Time is premium for small business owners. It is not free. Every hour has a monetary value. Taking time to learn how to write contracts, act as secretary, learn how to run bookkeeping software, create a marketing campaign, and manage employees can be far more expensive than employing a virtual assistant (a secretary that freelances from their own home) or a freelancer to take over these tasks.

Never take a loan to pay operating expenses

Debt weight and interest can sink a business before it has a chance to succeed. A good rule would be to save six months of operating expenses before opening to the public.

Don’t shop until the start-up capital is in the bank

Bankruptcy sales and liquidations are hard to disregard. All that display equipment, cash registers, security equipment, and miscellaneous items going at a discounted rate. Buying equipment that is inexpensively priced and storing it is a good plan. However, beware of spending so much on equipment that nothing is left to stock the store.

Allow two months for renovations, purchasing, and hiring

The market is ripe with stories of stock that arrived 3 days after the opening sale, rushed candidate selection processes, and even new owners who greeted customers on opening day with a hammer in their hand and the odour of paint in the air. Make sure that you leave enough time for a price comparison between stockists, logistical errors and store readiness.