The funny thing about ideas is that sometimes you have so many you can’t keep up with the flow, and other times you struggle to think of ways to refresh your brand or create an innovative offering/ experience. What if you could record and organise your ideas in such a way that you always have a treasure trove to dip in to when you’re ready to change things up?
First things first, decide where you are going to store your ideas. Are you all about pen and paper, scribbling notes down wherever you go? Then grab a fresh notebook. If you find you always reach for your phone when inspiration strikes, open up your preferred note app (I’m partial to Notes and Evernote). Whenever or wherever inspiration strikes, make a note of it immediately!
Next, you want to create four sections so that you can organise your ideas and find them easily. I’ve also listed the criteria for each section below.
- Short term/ action now
– quick win
– you have the time to implement it now- it fits in to your schedule
– low cost
– no extra resources required- you have everything you need - Medium term/ start developing
– planning required
– time intensive- you need to schedule time to action it
– medium cost
– resource intensive- you may need help or additional resources to what is currently available - Long term/ keep revisiting and revising
– extensive planning required
– time intensive- you can’t find the time in the near future
– high cost
– you need to find the money for the resources required - Archive
– a space for all those ideas that didn’t quite make the cut
This criteria for assessing ideas is vital if you want to execute them when the time is right; after all, an idea is only going to be successful if it’s executed with purpose and intention. I also firmly believe that there is real power in writing down all of your ideas and revisiting them on a regular basis to connect with them, so I highly recommend reviewing your lists monthly. It’s during this review process that you can move items around in the lists and incorporate them in to your monthly or quarterly goals.
When you fall out of favour with an idea, don’t be afraid to put it in to the “archive” section. I don’t believe in deleting ideas because often, one thought sparks another and before you know it you’re on the inspiration trail, but I do firmly believe in clearing the clutter and having a space for all those thoughts that don’t seem viable.
As a business owner, your ideas are invaluable- they are the USP that will make your venture stand out and be successful, so keep this list up-to-date and delve in to it whenever you feel you need a change.
I’m an expert in retail strategy and coming up with ideas to help businesses thrive. I’ve also made it my mission to help as many small retail businesses as possible, so if you want more help, please get in touch. I have packages to suit all needs and budgets, but if you don’t see what you want, just ask and I’ll see what I can do to help you.