Entrepreneurs are rarely satisfied with one successful business. Most of us are always on the lookout for new business ideas or ways to add income streams and diversity to our current projects. The hardest part of a new challenge is often coming up with the initial concept or narrowing down your thoughts to find the one you want to take forward. Here’s a look at some interesting, sometimes fun, ways to choose your next business.
Create a Mood Board
Whether you are short of ideas or have too many to choose from, a mood board can help you to organize your thoughts and spot patterns in your thinking. Use a mood board template and fill it with anything that inspires you, including colors, branding ideas, themes, articles, news stories, keywords, and quotes.
Brainstorm
Brainstorming is a great way to get your ideas down quickly and easily. You can keep adding to the brainstorm over time and use it to group ideas and spot patterns. You might start with one big idea brainstorm, and then use others to break those ideas or niches down until you settle on something.
Think of Things You Love
One of the best ways to think of a new business idea is to follow your passions. Write lists of things you love, things you love to do, your favorite business tasks, and the parts of your current businesses that bring you the most pleasure. If you can find a business in the things you love, you are more likely to be happy and successful, and it will feel less like adding more work to your already busy workload.
Think about Things That Frustrate You
Another option is looking at things that frustrate you about the world, your life, or your business. If something frustrates you, or there’s a process you think is much harder than it should be, other people might feel the same. If you can find ways to simplify operations and make things easier or less frustrating, you may have a very lucrative business idea.
Look to the Future
A common mistake business owners make is trying to copy what is on the market already or trying to solve a need that people have right now. The world is changing faster than ever, and only thinking of the here and now can mean that you end up with a business behind the times in a few years. Instead, think about the future. Look at growing trends and predictions, look at the technology being pioneered, and think about how your business ideas would fit into the world in 15 years.
Go for a Walk
Many of us find that we have our very best ideas when we’re out of the office and doing something completely different. Going for a walk can be a fantastic way to find inspiration.
Starting a new business can be a fantastic challenge and a great way to increase your income and build your reputation. If you are short on ideas or unsure which is the best, try some of these methods.