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Is Creativity an airy fairy notion or an absolute requirement for the small businessperson

Written by: Craig Jennings

Article Overview: I admire artists and poets. But I say to you that a peak creative effort is to envision something in business, to say it's going to happen when no-one else can see it, and then make it happen according to your vision. You may not get mentioned in the same breath as Rembrandt or Mozart. Your friends or your spouse may take your creativity for granted. But you can't make a small business work without it. This note is to ask you to examine your own creative force, and give you some tips on calling on it when you need it.

Is Creativity an airy fairy notion or an absolute requirement for the small businessperson

3 Observations:

Observation #1. - "Creative" looks differently, depending on your point of view.

Creative is glorious when you're in the early planning stages. "First, I'll get this, then I'll do that, then I'll conquer the world." You're not even at the level of reality TV!
Creative is a real test when you actually enter the business world - how much money are we going to need for how long and where do I get it? And who is "we?" Or -"I don't have a clue how much I'm going to be making, and you're talking about a 10-year lease, for $480 thousand dollars!"
And, finally, creativity looks like a reliable partner when your business is running and you must create the plans for income, and then create the actual income, every month.


Observation #2 - How do you keep it up? It's like The Magic Lamp - just rub harder and faster!

One of the best examples of creativity starts with "In the beginning there was the word." You remember what that started!
You will fundamentally risk making a damn fool of yourself day in and day out by telling yourself and others what you are going to do, even when you're not sure you can pull it off. You will get your creativity going the same way - with the word -
by speaking it,
writing it,
declaring it,
publishing it
And then, making it come true.


Observation/Question #3 - can you keep creativity coming when you're too busy to be creative? If you wait for the moment to strike, it may be a long wait. One creates his/her business by sitting down to do just that. Try this outline.
Set aside 1 hour a week.
Have a look at something you need that you don't have. Or something you have that you don't need.
Think about creating your business within the framework of change you've just described.
Keep notes and save them. Even if you come up with zeros today. When you sit down next week, have a look at where you've been. You may surprise yourself.
When you come up with an idea, nourish it, publish it, and schedule it! a. Nourish it - write it down in detail. Don't edit, just keep the ideas coming until you're empty.
Publish it - put it up where you can see it. Tell other people about it.
Be on guard for the "it won't work" response, usually our first response to someone else's imagination. If you get that response, use the word "why?" repeatedly. See what you learn.
Schedule it - plan a date when your new idea gets adopted, a date when it gets implemented, a date when it becomes a fundamental part of your business. Then watch what happens. The world will teach you how important creativity is to business.


Conclusion: The creative businessperson is not an oxymoron, s/he's an occupational necessity.

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Article Tags: absolute requirement, airy fairy, business work, businessperson, creative effort, creative force, creativity, small business



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