Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2007

BY LAND GRANT

If you are a small business owner – or wish to become one – creativity should be your commercial tool of choice. Business creativity combines the new and the useful. No matter what your environment – commercial or otherwise – “new” and “useful” are always in short supply. And therein lies your continuing edge in the marketplace.

Think creativity is just for artists or techies? Think again. To one degree or another, you’ve already demonstrated your talent for creativity.

If you’re in business now, you’ve managed to create a core offering and competency that you sell to others today. Your original business premise was creative. But, any business owner who doesn’t continue to “create” will be out of business tomorrow.

Your challenge is to figure out how to institutionalize creativity within your company – even if you’re a “one-(wo)man-band.” Entire books, seminars, systems and consultancies have been created (that word again!) to teach people to be creative. Use every existing tool that works for you. But let me suggest one sure-fire means to creativity that is available to every businessperson.

Here’s the secret: listen to your customer or client. They’ve already thought up your next product or service ... for free. And, they’re eager to tell you about their “creativity” – via inquiry, suggestion, order, exhortation, complaint, etc. Turn your client/customer into your informal R&D (Research and Development) department.

“Customer R&D” offers another built-in advantage to you. Fulfilling buyer need is the easiest, cheapest and most effective marketing “task” you could have. Just figure out how to give them what they want, tell them about it and then deliver.

Land Grant of Land Grant & Company is a small business consultant and weblogger specializing in the effective use of technology for small businesses. To learn more visit http://www.landgrant.biz/ or call Mr. Grant at 718-522-9791.