Do you often feel you’re trapped in the same old boring routine? Like you’re always going in circles when it comes to making big decisions on projects, such as how implement your newest social marketing strategy, or how to attract more customers to your business?
This is usually a result of being trapped inside of the metaphorically famous “Box.” This is a space where you can’t seem to venture outside of the six imaginary sides that surround you, and where you always get trapped in the same thought pattern.
We all know that “thinking outside of the box,” as the saying goes, is an effective strategy in our day-to-day lives. So, it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch to believe that thinking outside of the box on a business level is crucial as well, would it?
When you’re constantly thinking with the same mindset, your creativity suffers. You don’t progress, you don’t grow, and you don’t attract new business. These are just simple facts of life.
Need a firsthand account of why thinking outside of the box is an excellent strategy to practice? Matthew Swyers, founder of The Trademark Company, recalls a story from his past where he was hit with a trademark lawsuit, but thanks to some creative thinking, overcame having to pay a hefty fine.
But why is thinking outside of the box intrinsically important to your business? Consider these points:
Things Change
Oftentimes, those who don’t think outside of the box are people who are stuck in their ways. They’ve gotten so used to doing something one way for years and years, that they completely block out any new ideas from others. This is a bad way of doing business not only because it hurts your relationship with your coworkers and employees, but it also gets you stuck in a pattern while the rest of the world moves on without you.
Our world is constantly changing, at a more rapid pace than it ever has before. New tech is been invented every day, marketing strategies are evolving, and even the ways people think and interact with businesses are changing in a huge way. If you stick with what you’ve always known, rather than what you have yet to discover, you’ll find yourself losing customers, and being left in the dust while newer, younger startups take over your industry and steal away your customers.
The Box Gets Stale
Like a 6-month-expired bag of tortilla chips that you find in the back of your pantry, the Box will eventually get stale. And no one likes a stale Box. A stale box is unappealing. It’s boring. And it’s not worth your time.
Fresh, new ideas will inspire others to pay attention to you. Your employees will feel re-energized, and new customers will want to come over to check out what you have to offer. Getting rid of your stale image can manifest in a number of different ways, such as coming up with a new product, or rebranding yourself. Whatever your fresh idea is, explore it, and use it to attract new business!
Creative Juices Are Good Juices
Have you ever heard the phrase, “get your creative juices flowing”? It’s a weird — and personally, kind of physically upsetting — way to describe thinking outside of the box. You need to be creative in order to survive in the business world.
Take, for example, Super Bowl commercials. These are widely regarded as some of the funniest, most creative commercials of the year and brands know that people expect great things out of them when the Super Bowl rolls around each every February. That’s why they go all-in on their commercials, employing sometimes outrageous stunts in order to get their message across.
Remember the weird Mt. Dew Kickstart commercial from Super Bowl 50? You know, #puppymonkeybaby? This was one of the weirdest commercials of the Super Bowl, and it makes almost no sense at all. But…it got your attention, didn’t it? Countless articles popped up soon after the commercials appeared, both criticizing it and praising it. Either way, Mt. Dew accomplished what they set out to do in the first place; make a very creative, albeit absolutely bonkers, commercial and get people talking about Mt. Dew Kickstart. It was effective because it was creative.
If you want to be successful in this ever-changing business world, you have to learn to think outside of the box. If not, you’ll be left behind in the shadow of companies who have embraced creativity, and tried out new ways of running their business. Don’t be afraid to think differently.
1. Executive Summary – The executive summary provides a synopsis of the business plan and highlights key points within it. It communicates to a future investor the size and scope of the marketing opportunity, profitability and the company’s positioning. Don’t forget that it needs to be easy to ready and 2-4 pages long. It’s basically a summary of your business, so you really need to grab attention in this part. They possibly may not read on to the specifics.
First off, how did it do? Have you closed your books and are you ready to start analyzing the numbers? Start with your sales. Break it down into ways that are useful for you and your decisions like geography, product line, etc. You need to review your sales and see what worked and what didn’t work. Maybe you had a certain product line that you did well with, you may want to consider expanding that line. However, you also may have products that didn’t do so well, so you may want to evaluate and see if they have the right fit in your store.
