Do you know the childrenโs rhyme called โGoing on a Bear Huntโ? Itโs a story that talks about encountering different obstacles and realizing that the way forward is blockedโ the narrator โcanโt go around it, canโt go under it,โ and in the end, they realize they have to find another way around. And thatโs how entrepreneurs have to solve our problems a lot of the time. Some of our problems are straightforward, small issues that have simple solutions. But the bigger-picture problems, the conceptual problems? Thatโs where it pays to be creative.
Part of being an entrepreneur is not always knowing what comes next. You have to be flexible and roll with the punches, and sometimes you have to approach your problems a little differently than anybody else might. Instead of charging through, you might need to go over or around the issue. You might need to find a different path, or blaze your own trail somewhere exciting and new. But if youโve never thoughtย about the problem-solving process as a creative endeavor before, this can be challenging! How do we approach our problems in creative ways?
Step Into the Unknown
One of the first steps in creative problem solving is having a good attitude about the unknown. Uncertainty is always going to be part of the journey, and entrepreneurs face challenges that donโt have pre-written answers. Thatโs ok! You donโt have to love uncertainty, but you do need to at least acknowledge that itโs going to happen. And then treat every problem like an opportunity to innovate. When youโre comfortable with not having all the answers right away, you free your mind to explore possibilities that might otherwise go overlooked.
Reframe Your Problems
Sometimes breakthroughs come from looking at the problem from a different perspective. Maybe you need to zoom out and look at the bigger picture, or maybe you need to zoom in because thereโs a specific detail that isnโt working. Instead of focusing on the problem itself, start asking questions that challenge your assumptions about the origin of the obstacle. Whatโs the underlying issue? Can you redefine the problem to open up new solutions? Ask yourself โWhat opportunities does this create?โ or โWhat would this look like if it were easy?โ instead of focusing on โWhatโs wrong?โ
For example, letโs say that youโre having a hard time attracting customers. The audienceย seems to be thereโ you have great numbers on social mediaโ but they arenโt buying. Is the problem a lack of interest in your product, or is the problem that youโre having a hard time communicating its value, or ensuring that your brandโs storyย aligns with your customersโ values? Or maybe you arenโt reaching the right people and while you might have a bigย audience, itโs not the rightย audience. Suddenly, you have new angles of attack to work on your underlying problem.
Reframing your problem encourages fresh thinking and helps you avoid getting stuck with just one way of tackling the issue. It can be as simple as changing the language you use to describe the problem or imagining how someone outside your industry might approach it, which leads to the next point.
Get Multiple Opinions
If you only listen to one source of news, thereโs a lot youโre going to miss. Problem-solving is the same, and it really helps to listen to multiple perspectives and voices. This means asking your team, but it can also mean asking people who donโt work with you or even people from outside your industry. Borrowing ideas from different fields can lead to truly innovative breakthroughs. For example, a tech entrepreneur might find inspiration in the way a graphic designer approaches the creative process, or a restaurateur might learn from the efficiency of an assembly line. When you surround yourself with people with different viewpoints and understanding, it can shine a light on what youโre missing and provide insights you might never have considered.
Experimental Answers
For solving tough challenges, โdoneโ is better than โperfect.โ If you wait for a perfect solution to emerge, you might never solve your problem. Once you have ideas on the table, you need to test them out. Creative problem-solving thrives on experimentation, so instead of hoping for the perfect answer, start with baby steps. See what works and keep going from there. And remember, every experimental answer is a learning opportunity; even if something doesnโt work as expected, it creates insights that can help you find the solution. The key is to stay flexible and keep moving forward.
Embrace Constraints
It might sound counterintuitive, but limitations can be a powerful motivator. Constraints like tight timelines or limited resources can act as guardrails that keep you focused and challenge you to innovate within the bounds of whatโs available. Think about how artists work within specific mediums. Painters use canvas and paint, sculptors use stone or clay, musicians only have a set number of notes to work withโ and yet these limitations allow them artistic freedom, giving them the space to create something new and beautiful within this specificity. You can do that too as an entrepreneur! Donโt see limitations as barriers; instead, treat them as a framework for problem-solving. What solutions can you uncover when you work within what you have?
Building a Problem-Solving Toolbox
Creativity is like any other skillโ it needs practice. While itโs one thing to talk about changing attitudes and approaches, itโs another to actually put these into practice. If youโre not sure where to get started with creative problem-solving, one good place to start is the SCAMPER technique. This technique is a seven-part process that helps you come up with new ideas and ask targeted questions. It looks like this:
- Substitute: Replace parts of the product, process, or problem with something else.
- Combine: Merge two or more elements to create something new or enhance the concept.
- Adapt: Modify something to fit a new purpose or situation.
- Modify: Change size, shape, or attributes to improve or innovate.
- Put to another use: Find alternative applications for an idea or object.
- Eliminate: Remove unnecessary parts or steps to simplify the idea.
- Reverse (or Rearrange): Change the order or reverse roles in the process.
Lateral thinking is another helpful tool. With lateral thinking, you work to break out of habitual thought patterns and explore alternative solutions. These solutions might or might not work, but the thought process is often more important than coming up with the perfect answer right away. Some ways to approach lateral thinking include:
- Mind mapping, where you create a visual map with the problem at the center and draw branches with related ideas and connections to explore various angles.
- Analogies and metaphors, where you compare the problem to something unrelated, like gardening or cooking. Analogies can reveal unexpected parallels.
- Reversal technique, where you reverse assumptions or norms about the problem. For example, instead of thinking “How can we sell more products?” ask “What if we tried not to sell anything?”
- Random input exercises, where you choose a word at random, like โteacup,โ and try to connect it to your problem in some way. This forces your brain to create associations and new perspectives.
Creativity Is Our Passion
At Matcha Design, we take creativity seriously. We understand the value of a new approach and doing things that other people havenโt tried yet. We bring our love of creativity to all of our projects, from advertisingย to web design. Contact us todayย if youโre looking for a creative partner to help grow your brand!
