Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 No matter what your business is, you need to make it original in some way. This means introducing new exciting products/services/perks/content to keep your customers interested. Coming up with ideas for them can be a great challenge, so you’ll have to seek inspiration. Unfortunately, you can’t just order your mind to be creative, but it’s within your power to push your imagination forward. Some activities can be extremely helpful in this, so be sure to incorporate them into your schedule. #1 Joining Your Community Business Organization The majority of communities have organizations where entrepreneurs can meet up and talk about their business and life. These ‘group sessions’ can provide you with inspiration as well as support. They are especially helpful for beginners who have a hard time dealing with business challenges. More experienced people can offer valuable advice, and it’s always good to know that someone understands exactly what you are going through. If your community doesn’t have a group like this, you can look up similar organizations online. There are specialized business forums and social media communities dedicated to this purpose. If you are too shy for this, consider hiring a professional coach. #2 Signing Up for Your Competitors’ Newsletters Knowing your competition is vital in order to stay one step ahead of them. Receiving the newsletters these businesses send to their clients will allow you to see and assess how effective their content and special offers are. Don’t steal their ideas, instead use this information to come up with something better. When you know exactly what they offer and have a good understanding of your own audience, you’ll be able to see opportunities presented by the shortcomings of your competitors’ campaigns. #3 Traveling Around the World The best source of inspiration is new impressions, and the best way to get them is to visit new places. The world is huge, and each part of it is unique in its own way. You can start with traveling around your country and getting to know your targeted customers personally. This may give you better insight into them than studying a dozen of statistical reports and market surveys. Nowadays, you can travel around the world with a minimal investment, so everyone has a chance to soak up a variety of new impressions. If you have a chance, discover Germany first as this country is brimming with young successful entrepreneurs. Traveling around developed countries is most beneficial for business owners because there you can find not only ideas but also potential partners and investors. Develop your travel plan based on the type of company you run, but don’t limit your trip to work-related matters only. Your main purpose is to soak up new impressions that can fuel your creativity, so mix business and pleasure wherever you go. #4 Trying Out New Things This source of inspiration works similar to traveling, but it wouldn’t take you away from your business for extended periods of time. You can try a great number of interesting things that will fill you with a multitude of impressions. Here are some ideas: Extreme sports Dancing Arts-and-crafts workshops Visiting exhibitions and museums Exotic foods and cooking classes If you don’t practice any art as a hobby, you should start right away as this kind of activity helps develop creativity. #5 Reading All Kinds of Materials Reading is one of the best sources of inspiration, but if you want it to be truly productive, you have to choose your reading material carefully. Don’t limit yourself to professional articles and textbooks only. You should seek to discover new things, so read different types of literature, both fiction and non-fiction. Don’t forget about newspapers and popular blogs as you need to stay informed on any changes in the world. For the same reason, you should subscribe to your professional journals. Reading popular fiction, especially the things preferred by your target customers will help you understand them better. It’ll give you ideas on how to make your products/services more appealing by connecting them to the current pop culture trends. Don’t Miss a Great Idea: Take Your Notebook Everywhere The thing with inspiration is that it’s really fleeting, so be sure to take a notebook with you when you set off to practice all these great activities. A smartphone app that can take voice notes will be even better as it will help you ‘write down’ every idea you have right away. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.Learn how to publish your content on B2C Join our Telegram channel to stay up to date on breaking news coverage Author: Alan Draper Based in the United Kingdom, Business 2 Community editor Alan is part of the team that’s responsible for ensuring all the content on our site is accurate, relevant and up-to-date. In addition to editing, he is also a writer and an expert on the stock market. 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