Whether you are an inventor or an entrepreneur, your big idea (most likely) didn’t simply come to you. It takes work to get your mind to be innovative and creative. Here are some ways to inspire yourself to get in this mindset.
What is your problem? This needs to be the first thing you identify. Once you have identified your problem at hand, find its roots and THEN you go in to solving it. You are not magically going to come up with a solution to someone’s problem unless you yourself have identified said problem. It is good to have at least 3 problems on hand if you are wanting to be an inventor or entrepreneur. That way you are prepared and ready for the solution. If you are aware of the problems you are more keen to see ways to solve it in your daily life (since the solution will probably come to you when you least expect it).
Look for ways for your tasks and businesses to be complementary. If you are an inventor or entrepreneur you are most likely overwhelmed and quite possibly overworked, but also wanting to find the next great thing because you are passionate! Instead of going off on a completely different idea, try to build off your current successful business. For example, I (Todd) own multiple Coldwell Banker (real estate) franchises and saw a need for a more affordable way of getting videos to my agents of their listings. I decided to create a company called Step Beyond Media that can complete these tasks in a more cost-effective manner. I then saw a need for other CEO’s (many times real estate CEO’s) to balance their work life and personal life, so Josh and I started Corner Office Coach. These all work closely together and complement each other, but are all very separate entities and have different purposes.
My last tip of how you can inspire innovation is to not be lazy or too comfortable. Think big, but don’t ignore the details. Your first idea and brainchild may be super successful, but that doesn’t mean you should stop. Keep going. Keep pursuing the next project. This is what will make you a successful entrepreneur.