Let’s Get Creative.

It's been quite the year for small businesses. In fact, it's been quite the past few years. Between the ongoing effects of the pandemic, inflation, and overall changes to how consumers choose to spend, small business owners are feeling the pressure. Some even consider drastic marketing moves and shifts to stay competitive and keep their customers intact.

According to Forbes.com, 85% of surveyed small businesses are concerned about inflation. With more than 80% of those small businesses having no choice but to increase their prices, they're worried about how the rising costs will affect their customers.

Of course, this means getting creative about how business is done. It means thinking outside of the box. It means rethinking how to market and brand the business and maintain its image and loyalty among long-time customers.

But sometimes, getting creative about business is easier said than done, especially when stressed, overworked, and burnt out. But the good news is that there are ways to bring out your inner creativity when times get tough, and it doesn't require you to be an artist or creative genius.

Here are seven few out-of-the-box ways you can boost your creativity in your small business even during tough times:

1. Get organized.

First things first, clean up your workspace. Get rid of any unnecessary clutter, notes, or items you don't plan to use right then and there. Adopt the mindset of putting things where they belong versus just setting them on your desk to get lost later.

Getting organized also means organizing your time! Time management is one of the biggest keys to freeing up your mental space to invite more creativity. If you're not already using a planner, get one and write down how you plan to spend each hour that day, from meetings and project work to the time you take to meditate or rest.

The more you can streamline your days and maximize your available time, the easier it will be for you to boost your creativity in your small business. One way to do so is by having a dedicated "CEO hour."

Close the laptop, put the screens down, and head to the whiteboard to brainstorm. Or even better, bring out a piece of paper and pencil to jot down all those thoughts sitting in your head. 

2. Prioritize your CEO hour.

Your CEO hour is perhaps one of the most critical hours of the day and one of the best times to boost your creativity in your small business. It is when you set aside specific time to block out all distractions and work ON your business versus working IN it. Your CEO hour is the time to plan your schedule for the day or week, recognize and set your priorities, and reflect on your business marketing and branding strategies.

Prioritizing your CEO hour doesn't just force you to take a step back to see what is working and what needs improvement but also provides you with dedicated headspace to brainstorm new ideas for your business going forward.

3. Go old-school.

When you find yourself stuck on a thought, unable to generate ideas, or having difficulty making important decisions, the best thing to do is eliminate distractions and do things the old-school way.

Close the laptop, put the screens down, and head to the whiteboard to brainstorm. Or even better, bring out a piece of paper and pencil to jot down all those thoughts sitting in your head. 

Journaling daily is also a beneficial way to boost your creativity in your small business. What you write down doesn't have to make complete sense-- the important thing is that you're allowing your creative juices to flow naturally and transfer all of your thoughts from inside your head to somewhere you can see right in front of you.

4. Get your mindset in check.

It's incredible how much our mindset can affect just about everything we do. And when it comes to boosting your creativity, it plays just as big of a part.

One of the most challenging things to do as an entrepreneur and small business owner is to adjust our mindset to let go of the comparisonitis. Comparisonitis is that crazy need we feel to constantly compare ourselves to our competitors and measure our importance based on how we view them. 

Comparison can very quickly become a creativity killer. However, the moment you can learn to embrace your uniqueness and see your differences as advantages versus disadvantages, the better positioned you'll be to overcome the tough times facing you. 

5. Allow yourself to let go.

As business owners, it's not easy to give ourselves grace when things don't go as planned. Unfortunately, this causes many to give up on their business prematurely, as many did during the recent pandemic.

Don't be afraid to let go of ideas or methods that don't work for you or your business. Alternatively, allow yourself to let go. Learn to accept things that didn't go the way you saw, learn from them, and move forward. By letting go of past expectations and temporary roadblocks, you free up your mental space to boost your creativity in your small business and generate new ideas.

6. Allow yourself to open up.

In addition to letting go of everything blocking you from being in full creative mode, you've also got to allow yourself to open up to new things!

Don't be afraid to try new methods or tactics in your business from a marketing, branding, and sales perspective. Instead of being so quick to dismiss a new idea and call it "crazy," be open to exploring that idea and all of its possibilities.

If you want to boost your creativity in your small business, you can't be afraid of the trials, the errors, and the journey that comes with it. You may be surprised at where those "crazy" ideas take you (and they may even be the thing you need to set you apart from your competition)!

7. Step away.

I often talk about taking time away from your business, and there's a good reason why I do so. Giving your brain some space to breathe and focus on other things is hands down one of the best ways to boost your creativity in your small business and increase your productivity levels.

If you need to, you can always delegate or outsource your work to another team member to take some things off your plate or maybe even help spark new ideas you hadn't previously thought about.

And the end of the day, creativity doesn't just do incredible things for our business in the long run but also does awesome things for our minds and bodies. It helps us to decrease stress, keep us energized, increase our brain capacity and regulate our emotions. Therefore, taking some time to focus on boosting your creativity in your small business should be a priority.

Let's chat if you need help finding ways to boost your creative juices. Book your complimentary 30-minute consultation call here!