Do you remember that song from that old movie, Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang? It goes, “From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success.” And let’s be frank here, what we’re going through right now, it’s as close to a disaster as our industry as ever been.
When the time comes to re-open, to rebuild, it’s going to require us to do things differently to how we’ve done them before. Our businesses, and our customers, will be forever changed, and to ensure that we can continue to service them effectively, we need to evolve along with them.
Step away from your device
Somewhere along the line, we convinced ourselves that Google and Pinterest were the only place that creativity lived. They’re not. “There has been significant research that suggests we’re our most creative in times of idleness. It can seem daunting to give yourself some time out, but it is in those moments of walking, of meditating, or taking a shower that your brain gets to its most creative,” says marketing expert Lorna Ceeton. “When you let your mind wander, your brain takes your experiences, feelings and emotions, and it starts to form valuable connections, which in turn become solutions and ideas.” And let’s be honest here – the one thing we have a lot of right now is time.
A bit of crazy is a good thing
Somewhere between the age of five and where we are today, we learned to pack our crazy ideas away, that they weren’t good for business. But what if we gave those ideas permission to come out and play? Think of an execution that will get your customers talking, your competitors shaking in their boots, and entice those people that used to keep walking, to turn around and stop over your threshold. “Imagine what could happen if you turned ridicule and doubt into belief,” says Lorna.
Do it
The easiest – and perceived safest – thing to do, is to pack those ideas away and label them, ‘Maybe one day.’ But what if one day was today? You don’t need to go all out and blow your entire budget on an off-the-wall idea, but it’s worth trialling a smaller version of it. Lorna says: “For many small businesses or startups, where time, money and resources are limited, the idea is to start small. But start!”
For more news and updates, subscribe to our weekly newsletter.