Creating a new brand can be scary. You want to make sure your idea is great, but how do you know if it’s any good?
Think about these points.
We know that we should create a new business by identifying a problem worth solving and then developing a solution for it. But how do you come up with such an idea?
Start by thinking about issues you’ve encountered in your own life. If you can’t come up with any, find a topic or area of knowledge you’re passionate about and attempt to identify a problem within it that frustrates people. The more passionate you are about the subject matter, the easier it will be to get through all those late nights in front of your computer!
1. Businesses help solve problems
In the case of Facebook, many people knew about the need for a social networking site—but it took Mark Zuckerberg to build it.
The problem with “ideas” is a that there are a million different possibilities for what you could create. So, go back and ask yourself, “How do I know this is real?” And if you’re asking yourself this question, it probably isn’t real. What insights do you have?
2. Solve everyday problems
The best new brands come from ideas that solve everyday problems. You can probably think of a couple of apps on your phone that help you do something more efficiently. Sometimes, the most apparent problems are right under our noses, and we don’t even realize it until someone invents something to fix it.
Ideally, you’ll want to look for a common problem, since many times, if the pain bothers you, it frustrates others too! This also helps you determine if your idea will be viable in the marketplace.
A good way to identify problems in your daily routine is write down every task and process you go through in a day (e.g., getting dressed, making breakfast). Then write down everything that annoys or bugs you about each process. Take some time to think about what irritates you about each process and how technology could potentially solve them.
In the case of Bob & Berts, a fast-growing UK coffee chain we work with in the UK, was borne out of the passion of two friends, to shake up the ‘’formulaic coffee shop experience they’d endured during their time at university in Newcastle.
Two Northern Irish lads, Colin McClean & David Ferguson, were both convinced they could find a way to break the convention of serving up unimaginative pre-packed food with average tasting coffee in drab-looking corporate environments (Colin grew up around the family bakery – so was already a dab hand with a rolling pin!). If they felt this way, surely they weren’t the only ones? And so, their mission: to serve up proper coffee and good, wholesome, unpretentious grub in the kind of positive feeling place that locals would really want to be part of. Bob & Berts was born.
The key has been to develop a credible, independent-minded brand that retains a sense of fun and community spirit, to ensure that the vision and passion in the original Bob & Berts was replicated.
Our involvement included Brand strategy, brand development, prototype store planning, roll-out of interior design & realisation, project management.
3. Find a problem you’re passionate about
Coming up with a great idea can be difficult. Many people feel they need to reinvent the wheel to create something wholly new and original.
The reality is that coming up with a great idea doesn’t have to be complicated. There are plenty of problems in the world to choose from, and there are many ways you can approach finding one.
Harrison been working with SushiDog, founded by two friends, Greg and Nick, who are both sushi fanatics, who were frustrated with the lack of freshness and imagination when it came to quick, grab & go sushi offerings in the UK.
Fast forward a few years and SushiDog is now on a mission to revolutionise what sushi is, how it’s made and how it’s eaten across the UK and beyond.
Harrison’s involvement included: brand development, prototype store planning, roll-out of interior design & realisation, project management.
If you’re passionate about solving a particular problem, the odds are good that you’ll be more motivated to solve it than someone who isn’t. Your passion will help you stay focused on your goal even when things get complicated or tedious. You’ll be less tempted to give up once things start getting complicated or boring because you’re genuinely interested in what you’re doing—and that’s when most people tend to quit!
Conclusion
What separates the winners and losers is that successful entrepreneurs are willing and able to adapt to the ways of today rather than try to fight against them.
If you’re struggling with generating ideas, keep this in mind when brainstorming your next great idea, and don’t accept the status quo.
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