How To Brainstorm Business Ideas

1. Ask Your Market

How To Brainstorm: The one best tip is always, always, always ask your list, your readers, your existing market what they need and want. And then remember…give them what they want but sell them what they need!

Thanks To: Elisabeth Donati of Creative Wealth International

2. The Ideal Way Of Brainstorming

How To Brainstorm: Our team here at Vasz Books, does something very unique. We tried to look for a quiet place in our office or outside the office in which we can brainstorm our ideas. Our group then gathers around, but prior to this taken place, we have asked everyone to work on their own ideas before the meeting takes place. Once we are all gathered around, we sub divide our topics of interest and begin brainstorming each others ideas. This is what is currently working for us, here at Vasz Books.

Thanks To: Vasz Books of Vasz Books

3. Be Crazy!

How To Brainstorm: Get together with a few other people and go nuts. Brainstorming is the time to be crazy. The wackier, more off-the-wall the ideas, the better. Hold your evaluation until the end and let the creative juices flow. It’s amazing how often silly ideas generate real solutions.

Thanks To: Stephen Balzac of 7 Steps Ahead, LLC

4. Look At The Best

How To Brainstorm: Look at the best and forget the rest. Look at what the biggest companies out there are doing. Even if they are not in your niche they all have something you can use. Many of these companies spend millions in research, all you need to spend is a few hours, a pen and pad. Write everything you like and give it your own touch to customize it. Google Trends is an excellent source for ideas like this considering how huge they are at this time.

Thanks To: Edwin Soler of Libreria Berea

5. Build Buzz To Brainstorm

How To Brainstorm: The ONE best tip for brainstorming great business ideas is to first begin by putting down in writing what it is that you’re looking to do. BE CLEAR. After you do this, share it with your team and others who may have great ideas about what it is you’re looking for. This could be students, social networks, family, friends, colleagues, etc. There is simply no substitute for calling upon many great minds “at no charge” to help you succeed in business!

Thanks To: Deborah Osgood of Knowledge Institute

6. Simple:make A Note Of Them

How To Brainstorm: An amazing part about ideas is that they are organic, like many other things in your schedule you can’t just set up an alert to get ideas for a particular time interval,they just come when they want to if you really want to keep a track get a notepad handy with yourself everywhere and noting them as soon as they come in your mind and take time every two days to brainstorm through those ideas, keeping a goal checklist in your mind and matching them with the right ideas…It really works…

Thanks To: Akash Sharma of Revenue Strategy Solutions Ltd.

7. Cocktail Anyone?

How To Brainstorm: To brainstorm ideas you need to be loose, happy, relaxed and with friends, family or colleagues that you trust. Call them to set up a time to get together over some beer or cocktails and brainstorm. Most of my brainstorming as been successful this way. When I sit in my office, think really hard, it adds pressure and I don’t think outside the box.

Thanks To: Susan Vernicek of S&J Identity – Identity Magazine

8. Get Inspired At A Trade Show

How To Brainstorm: Trade shows are great places to network AND see what’s new in your industry. Observing your competitors’ innovations may even stir your own creative juices!

Thanks To: Scott Swanay of Fantasy Baseball Sherpa

9. Find Your Entreprenessence

How To Brainstorm: My speciality is helping entrepreneurs of all levels brainstorm ideas and revenue streams to add to their business. I start by asking them to define their entreprenessence – the essence of their business – the philosophy and core values that comprise their business mission. Are they currently fulfilling this? if not we step back and help them re-evaluate, if they are,what natural services and/or products could be developed into info products and services that further extend their brand?

Thanks To: Susan M. Baker of Escape Hatcher

10. Break The Mould

How To Brainstorm: A really simple way to brainstorm in 3 easy steps.

1. Get out of the office, go somewhere new.
2. Invite business contacts and friends to support the effort (new minds means better thinking)
3. Remember anything goes, build on things don’t ever pull them down.

Thanks To: Marc Lawn of The Business GP

11. Create A Market Research Team

How To Brainstorm: Look at who you know, pick a variety of talent and ask them if they would serve on your special Market Research Team to run ideas and strategies by. Share with them these ideas and ask for feedback, sometimes we are too close to things and do not see all possibilities and this will allow you to step deeper outside the box and your friends will be honored that you thought enough about them and their expertise to ask them to be a part of your special Team. I have used this for years & it works.

Thanks To: Robbie Motter of Contacts Unlimited

12. Buy Coffee For A Mentor

How To Brainstorm: I have been teaching small business people how to succeed for many decades. I regularly invite my successful graduates to speak to my current students. I always find that the graduates are willing to return because they are having trouble improving a single aspect of their business. As recompense for their time, they ask me what I have heard that others are doing to solve the same problem. I can usually suggest four excellent opportunities that they have never heard of in about five minutes.

Thanks To: Donald Mitchell of The 400 Year Project

13. Just Ask!

How To Brainstorm: I find that seeking the advice and counsel from your customers and prospects is a great way to brainstorm business ideas. When we were writing the business plan for VR, we frequently met with small business owners to gain their input into our offering. The information we obtained was invaluable in putting together the final product. Customers and prospects will always dictate where you go with your business.

Thanks To: John Panico of Virtual Resources, LLC

14. Hit The Road, Jack

How To Brainstorm: I often get my best business ideas by listening to business books on CD in the car while I am taking my son to school, running errands. I just need to remember to keep a note pad in my purse to help me document the ideas that come to mind as I drive (well after I pull over anyway;).

Thanks To: Heather Ledeboer of Mom 4 Life

15. Master Mind Group It!

How To Brainstorm: I have found that having a Master Mind support group is an invaluable tool in “brainstorming” ideas! A group of fellow small business owners & entrepreneurs from a variety of industries to bounce ideas off of is a great way to “think out of the box”. It’s also a great tool for stopping you from re-inventing the wheel in regards to your business.

Thanks To: DeAnna Radaj of Bante Design LLC

16. A Venti Carmel Macchiato

How To Brainstorm: One of the best ways I have found to brainstorm and launch forward is to stop and step away. I have found if I stop where I am at and go to the local coffee shop, order a large Carmel Macchiato (lg. so you can really relax) and just sit and enjoy the coffee new ideas begin to flow. Many times we are so caught up in the current position we can not see the opportunities until we sit back and relax. Just be sure to take paper and pen with you to jot down the amazing new ideas that will flow.

Thanks To: Robin Hardy of Robin Hardy Consultant

17. No Idea Is A Bad Idea!

How To Brainstorm: Initiate informal discussions with emphasis on “No idea is a bad idea”. From what may appear to be the silliest of notions, will come a seed of inspiration for an idea, program, or product that will flourish. Meeting rooms should be brightly lit, a comfortable temp, pads and pens should abound. Post signs with relevant nouns & adjectives around the meeting area. These will stimulate the process as will doodling, word association, even charades.

Thanks To: Dale Little of Business Strategist Group

18. Brainstorm Blitz & Splits

How To Brainstorm: At the Cook home (headquarters for Raising CEO Kids) we do something called “Brainstorm Blitz & Splits”. Everyone gets plenty of paper & things to write with. We set the timer & write as many ideas on the brainstorm topic as we can. When the timer goes off we jump up & make Banana Splits (or ice cream sundaes). We then share our ideas while eating them. We narrow the ideas, make plans for implementation & then assign tasks to everyone to get the ideas done! Lots of ideas & memories made!

Thanks To: Sarah Cook of Raising CEO Kids

19. Date Night!

How To Brainstorm: My husband (of 24 years and counting) and I go on a date every week. With six kids, that’s a great way to bond and be together.

The first step is almost always dinner in a restaurant and more often than not, we spend the time talking about our three companies and/or other business ideas. I always have a notebook handy, so we keep track of our ideas and revisit them regularly.

We are currently writing a book together. Just one more project that started as a date night idea!

Thanks To: Alison Moore Smith of Start Blogging in 1 Week

20. Look Outside The Box!

How To Brainstorm: Very often in the direct sales fields reps are just sticking to what’s modeled by their sponsor or upline. That’s a good thing but don’t limit yourself to just that. Look at other successful business models and experiment with some of their strategies – online and offline. So much of what works in internet marketing, for example, can be used with direct sales and vice versa! Look outside the box and try new things!

Thanks To: Annette Yen of Direct Sales Mentoring

21. Don’t Think

How To Brainstorm: That’s what we do in Improv. Don’t think.

Why? Because sometimes our conscious brains can only take us so far. And not far enough. We have to go back and access our natural instincts, intuition, and connection with people to find the answers.

And then the answers come naturally. The creativity flows. New ideas…different ways of viewing the world…come into your experience.

Put an eternal hold on that “Creative Strategies Session.” Don’t think, and the answer will come.

Thanks To: Pamela Hawley of UniversalGiving

22. Go To The Source!

How To Brainstorm: Talk to your clients. Often there are common things they all find lacking, and you could be just the person to fill that need. You won’t be bothering them, quite the opposite actually. They will feel privileged that you value their input enough to ask, and ultimately, you will be helping them solve a problem. Never be afraid to ask.

Thanks To: Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk of BBR Marketing

23. Exercise Your Body

How To Brainstorm: Brainstorming often flourishes at moments when you are relaxed or disengaged from “finding the perfect business solution.” Some of my best ideas come when brainstorming with my exercise partner on side-by-side treadmills at the gym. We toss ideas back and forth, adding, subtracting, revising as we go. Then we each go back to our separate computers and start implementing our gym brainstorming session ideas. Best of all — both our minds and our bodies have been exercised!

Thanks To: Phyllis Zimbler Miller of Miller Mosaic Power Marketing

24. Jfl… Slip Out & Get Engaged

How To Brainstorm: Many entrepreneurs get disconnected when being required to wear many hats that they forget the way they came up with the first idea. So my tip would be JFL (Just F Listen). The reason we started with good business ideas is because we were engaged into our passion and we were the customer with the problem so we created solutions for ourselves. Now we’re out of that seat. But jump back into it when your wanting to implement your next feature, product, or solution. Listen to your customer.

Thanks To: Todd Alexander of Spundoo Software

25. Huge Whiteboard

How To Brainstorm: The number one way I have found to have successful brainstorms is with 2 or 3 others and a large (I mean Large) whiteboard. Everyone gets a marker or two, and nothing gets erased. We don’t just bubble diagram stuff either, we sketch pictures, play with compositions, everything right on the board. Then we take a few pics, email them around, and get to work.

Thanks To: Stewart Christensen of Trekadoo

26. First Find The Right People!

How To Brainstorm: Never take advice or listen to anyone who hasn’t already done what you want to do or who doesn’t have the same goals and dreams that you do.

The same rule applies to Business Brainstorming. Be careful who you brainstorm with. Make sure they have your “Best Interest in Mind.”

There is nothing more expensive than acting on bad advice or brain stroming.

Contrarian view: Great ideas can come from anyone and anywhere. Train yourself to always be looking and listening.

Thanks To: Jim Plouffe of BusinessConsultingThatWorks.com

27. Don’t Underestimate Napkins

How To Brainstorm: Anywhere you go be prepared for an idea to come and always, Always, ALWAYS write down. Too many people think they will remember that great idea and then you get home and it’s gone. Good, bad or utterly ridiculous write it down; you can work out the details latter. Napkins, receipts or even your hand it doesn’t matter. I once drew an idea with a half broken crayon on the back of a children’s menu.

Thanks To: Michelle Littler of littletoad

28. Be Your Brand

How To Brainstorm: You have to “be” your brand to promote your brand. Like I always say, “Don’t be grumpy at home with your family members, then go out to the world, smile in earnest, and say GOOD MORNING to complete strangers.” If you practice what you preach – people, customers, and subscribers will flock to you because you are giving an actual sample (example)of what your brand (site, services, product, etc.,)is all about. This will improve sales, move products, and gain subscribers – trust me.

Thanks To: H. Luiz Martinez of H. Luiz Presents…

29. It’s The”relationship” Stup

How To Brainstorm: People buy from people they like. If you produce a quality product or offer an outstanding service, what will propel sales is the relationships your team builds with your clients. Strong relationships will always generate the ROI that can take a company from good to great!

Thanks To: Barbara Russo of Barbara Russo STRATEGICS

30. Back To The Basics

How To Brainstorm: Brainstorming ideas to have clients rave about our services can be stressful. As our business grows, we change so many things that we lose sight of what our clients fell in love with from the start. A lot of times that requires adding a special touch to each gifting or going that extra mile for a client. It is what I call going “Back to the Basics”. Appreciating your client & showing them that you care will speak volumes and in return, they will speak highly of your company.

Thanks To: Phyllis Pometta of Baby Swags

31. Distance Yourself

How To Brainstorm: As entrepreneurs we are always close to what’s going on in our business. The problem is that usually we’re to close to really see it from a beginners mind.
When evaluating a business website one of the best things you can do is find someone who knows nothing about it and sit them down in front of it. Tell them they just landed there (maybe give them a search term they had supposedly searched on)
Then just watch. What do they think the site is about? What do they do? You’ll be amazed.

Thanks To: Phil Weaver of Break Pal – Employee Wellness

32. Make Something You Like

How To Brainstorm: If you make something that satisfies your own need and it fails, at least you followed your heart.

Thanks To: Anthony Adams of The Hangover Cure

33. It’s Right On The Tip Of My..

How To Brainstorm: Sometimes a great idea is just like trying to recall someone’s name, its right on the tip of your tongue but you just can’t come up with it. When that happens usually as soon as the subject changes the name pops up in my mind. The same thing applies when brainstorming, if you get stuck change the subject, go for a walk, read something, put your direct attention on something else and let the good idea come in by the side door so to speak.

Thanks To: Giovanni Isaksen of Ashowrth Partners Ltd.

34. On The Shoulders Of Giants

How To Brainstorm: Years ago, someone told me that the secret to seeing further was to stand on the shoulders of a giant. If you want to redesign a teen oriented ecommerce web site, go to a mall and look at what ever store kids are flocking to (design, colors, layout).

If you manage a small hotel, check into the Ritz for a night (services, “extras”, whatever).

Find out what the giants do right and do wrong, and use that to grow.

Thanks To: Carl Forsell of Connections Planet

35. Get Away!

How To Brainstorm: While growing my company, I have found the best way for me to brainstorm ideas is: get away from my office or work location. Go to a quiet and undisturbed place like the beach, the mountains or a long car ride. Not try too hard to come up with ideas, just let my mind float away from the day to day issues within my business, and let the ideas come. That is how I have come up with some of my best business ideas!

Thanks To: Matt Shoup of Shoup Consulting

36. Trust + Values = Creativity

How To Brainstorm: You will create a bigger storm of ideas by working with a colleague or friend. Remember not to throw out anything in the early stages because this is how you get unstuck. It is more important to find people who share your values to brainstorm with than it is to find people who mirror all your ideas or share your expertise. In fact someone you trust with a totally new view of your problem is the best bet. Always be respectful and thank people for helping you to bust through the wall.

Thanks To: Karen Southall Watts of Karen Southall Watts (ask_karen)

37. More Heads Are Better Than One

How To Brainstorm: Brainstorming by yourself leaves you stuck in the same rut. The best way to brainstorm new ideas is to brainstorm with other people, preferably people not in the same business as you are. Different professions have different ideas, and so people in other businesses will provide you with more creative ideas than brainstorming with peers in your same industry. Also, a permanent mastermind group can keep you thinking even when you are not specifically looking for new ideas!

Thanks To: Eileen Roth of Everything in its Place

38. Just Ask ‘em

How To Brainstorm: Whether we’re trading offline, online or both, asking your Mastermind Group is a great way to get new business ideas. In most cases they will not be as close to your business as you or your customers are. This will enable them to be more objective than either and quite possibly to consider what your new product or service could do, but from a different perspective.

Thanks To: Bruce Hoag of Bruce Hoag, PhD, CPsychol

39. Ask For Help

How To Brainstorm: When you are stuck for ideas never forget to ask for help. We all get stuck sometimes and sometimes just need a fresh perspective from an outside source.

Thanks To: Shannon Myers of Walton Search

40. Surround Yourself

How To Brainstorm: Brainstorming great business ideas can be a challenge for many entrepreneurs. The one best tip I can provided is surround yourself with great people! Great people can equal successful business acquaintances, trusted friends or family members, your assistant, past clients or potential new clients. Kicking around ideas with these individuals can shed new light on an idea, expand it, narrow its scope or completely change it! And, perhaps just make it the best it can be!

Thanks To: Cheryl Jablow of Social Frog Designs

41. Get Social

How To Brainstorm: Creative brainstorming is the key to the longevity of a business. Typically, brainstorming occurs when key individuals within an organization generate ideas and discuss them. This is too basic. One tip for effective brainstorming is to GET SOCIAL! People are smarter than any 1 person. Use social media to generate, refine, and grow and idea. The concept of crowd sourcing is changing the way businesses grow. Let the “market” decide what are great marketing strategies and sales strategies.

Thanks To: Mark Hall of Input Ladder

42. Get Walking!

How To Brainstorm: Our daily morning meeting occurs, without fail, rain or shine, outside, whether walking on the roads or hiking. Fresh air equals fresh ideas that we can then pass on to our clients throughout the day!

Thanks To: Christine Scioli of Zan Media

43. Be Your Own Customer

How To Brainstorm: Put yourself in your customers shoes – approach your business as if you are seeing it for the first time as a customer and “walk” yourself thru the process from googling key words to find your company thru placing an order – take notes as you go – you will find things you want to change and then change them. If you feel like you are too close to it and can’t be objective ask a friend to do it for you and listen to what they have to say.

Thanks To: Anna Eves of DigiPix.Us

44. Make Yourself Obsolete

How To Brainstorm: Ideas are all around us, but if you are looking for big, juicy, game-changing ideas, the best way to do that is to brainstorm around the concept of putting yourself out of business. I know it seems strange, but after the initial shock, it becomes rather fun to poke holes at what you are doing wrong and imagine what your competitors would do both from a new products standpoint, as well as sales strategies or communication messages. Putting your spotlight on your weakness will make you stronger.

Thanks To: Sandie Glass of Sandstorm inc.

45. Parallel Brainstorming

How To Brainstorm: Take a page from parallel computing and get more simultaneous processors working on the issue. Ask 3 or 4 trusted friends and/or advisors to also brainstorm about the issue and then discuss results with each of them a few days afterward. This approach covers a lot of ground fast and usually covers the topic pretty well.

Thanks To: JR Rodrigues of Job Hunt Express

46. Seek Calm From Many Storms!

How To Brainstorm: Brainstorming is exactly what it implies, the coming storming of a brain or many brains. I find the best ideas come individually, but commitment comes better from collective sessions. So the core idea, plan, product or project of a business is best brainstormed alone. Once done, get as many people as you can from varied fields or departments to brainstorm the implementation of your ‘brainstorm’ to move your idea to an actuality. The result will amaze you!

Thanks To: Aisha Bauer of eSutras Organics

47. Opening The Natural Connection

How To Brainstorm: I absolutely do my most insightful brainstorming when connecting to the natural world in some way.

If the weather allows, sitting beneath a tree, standing barefoot in the grass, potting a plant, or even gazing out the window, turning a crystal in my hand. Focusing on connection to the larger world energy and feeling grateful prompts a receptiveness and positive focus, where inspiration flows much more freely.

Thanks To: Dixie Vogel of Good Karma Host, LLC

48. Toss It In The Hat!

How To Brainstorm: 1)Set uninterrupted time
2)Explain general topic
3)Give everyone a bunch of index cards.
4) NO DISCUSSION. NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS. Have them PRINT one idea on each card until they are completely out of ideas. Shuffle cards.
5)On whiteboards or paper sheets taped to the wall, write down each suggestion so that everyone can read it. If a suggestion comes up more than once put an x behind it for each time. Just post it. Do not note ownership.
6)Vote on the most interesting.

Thanks To: Monica Tombers of Just So! Jewelry

49. Ask, Ask, Ask, Then Listen!

How To Brainstorm: Ask your best customers for new ideas and reward them for it – with a coupon or free product. Ask, ask, ask for advice, and then remember to listen carefully – be open to new ideas!

Thanks To: Michelle Hamman of MotherTongues

50. Let It Simmer

How To Brainstorm: Many “flavor of the month” companies change business offerings w/o fully knowing the market’s needs. Here’s a recipe for finding new ideas:

1st: Put all relevant data “in the pot”-what do my customers “need”? What’s the competition doing? Where’s the industry headed?

2nd: Throw all ideas in- nothing is to be excluded at this point.

3rd: Do nothing (for a while). In other words, just let it simmer.

4th: Allow the heat of innovation to bring the best idea

Thanks To: Dino Herbert of For Leap’s Sake

51. Advice From Caddyshack

How To Brainstorm: In the movie Caddyshack, Chevy Chase told Danny “Be the ball, Danny. Be the ball.” Similar advice works well for brainstorming business ideas – be the customer. Spend a day in their life. Watch how they use your product or how they meet their needs without your service. Get out and DO what they’re trying to do, alongside them if possible. Then go engage in something mindless and see what ideas start to flow.

Thanks To: Julie Lenzer Kirk of Path Forward International

52. Big Ideas With Bacon & Eggs

How To Brainstorm: Stuck for ideas? Pulling out your hair? Thinking about drinking the vanilla in the pantry? Have no fear -follow my Sales Divas advice. When you need to come up with a new, fresh concept but honestly you feel like your brain is fried-go meet some friends WHO AREN’T IN YOUR INDUSTRY for a greasy bacon and egg breakfast. Something magical happens with bad coffee, toast,eggs and bacon…and 3 other brains at the table. (Not on your plate of course) You relax. Ideas flow like a salt shaker.

Thanks To: Kim Duke of The Sales Divas

53. Wear Your Mickey Mouse Ears!

How To Brainstorm: Listen actively to what everybody has to say. When you start talking about your business, you will find that a lot of people will have opinions about what you are doing. Do not dismiss what is said, even if the person has no business expertise. I have generated my best ideas from ACTIVELY listening and processing the feedback I have received over the years. Use open body language, acknowledge what is being said, and ask a lot of questions. You will be pleasantly surprised at what others offer

Thanks To: Karen Gallagher of The Lollipop Book Club

54. Meet And Greet!

How To Brainstorm: Whenever you feel creatively stuck in a rut, the best thing you can do is make a move…any move. And the best way to ascertain what that move might best be is to talk to you closest confidants and business relationships so you have some good feedback. Bounce ideas off them. The worst thing you can do is do nothing at all. Energy creates and frees up energy. Just move, the ideas will come. Sure you have to be intelligent and not just spend recklessly. But that’s what friends are for. Move!!

Thanks To: Craig Wolfe of www.CelebriDucks.com

55. Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

How To Brainstorm: When I get really stumped on a problem, I ask a kid. Preferrably one under 5 years old. I explain the problem to the kid in terms they will understand. Because they haven’t been jaded by years in business like us adults have, they will always give you an honest, unbiased answer to the question. If nothing else, by spending the time redefining the problem in terms any 5 year old can understand, I probably have a better handle of the problem and can generate some great ideas on my own.

Thanks To: Keith Fear of Balloons Over The Rainbow, Inc.

56. Activate Your Network

How To Brainstorm: One of the best ways I find to brainstorm on different business models, sales strategies, etc. is to contact members of my network, these may be close friends, business associates, professionals or anyone else that you know well enough to contact. Most of these people will be flattered to be invited over to brainstorm. It’s usually cheap, beer/wine and take out, and you get great feedback, input and ideas that you can either use, build on or incorporate into an existing area of your business.

Thanks To: Gus Murray of Startup Company

57. Learn From The Pros

How To Brainstorm: When I need new busines ideas, I read industry magazines like Internet Retailer and Website Magazine. The subscriptions are free, and I always find new ideas to try or helpful info I didn’t know. It’s not a “fun” read, but it is educational!

Thanks To: Candy Keane of Three Muses Inspired Clothing

58. Find Your Motivation!

How To Brainstorm: I find my best brainstorming ideas, motivation and inspiration are when I read about others that have amazing business stories. You can learn a lot from them and see how they did it. Learn how and why they did something and make it your own that fits your brand or company. Don’t steal the idea, but take it and brainstorm. They were able to accomplish their goals which means you are just as capable too. You never know what they may teach you, motivation and inspiration keeps the ideas flowing…

Thanks To: Ashley Bodi of BusinessBeware.biz

59. Go Visual, Not Virtual

How To Brainstorm: I’m a very visually oriented person, so when I’m stuck I dig out the box of magazines in my closet. I sit down, hold the problem in my head, flip through the magazines, and cut out any words and images that strike me. I then make a collage (often a pretty big one.) The process usually sparks ideas, creates directions, and inspires me to move forward.

Thanks To: Kim Leatherdale of Happy Couple Expert

60. Tune In To Out Shine Others

How To Brainstorm: Tune in to customers, potential customers, the marketplace, and your own internal barometer to identify unmet marketplace needs and wants. Some can be identified, and even anticipated, by identifying trends and marketplace changes. Others can be identified through observation and listening. The more perceptive your are, the more successful you’ll be.
Mary Beth Izard, author BoomerPreneurs, How Baby Boomers Can Start Businesses, Make Money and Enjoy Life.

Thanks To: Mary Beth Izard of Acheve Consulting Inc.

61. What If…you Are Wrong?

How To Brainstorm: When you are stuck or when you are absolutely, positively sure you are right about something, pause. Take 10 seconds and consider “What if…?” “What if I am wrong? What if my customers would look at this from a different perspective? What if my employees were in charge of this? What if my competitor were making the decision?” ‘What if’ thinking expands the power of the possibilities your brain is processing and is an incredibly effective way to open your mind to alternatives.

Thanks To: Holly G. Green of The Human Factor, Inc.

62. Read, Then Go For A Walk

How To Brainstorm: For a few minutes a day, read either a nuts & bolts type of book for your industry or a motivational/inspirational book. Then, leave it behind and go for a brisk walk.

Your subconscious will start to work on the information you’ve just absorbed and will create new ideas and fresh ways to utilize the information.

Thanks To: Michelle Hill of Winning Proof

63. Clear Your Head And Your Mind

How To Brainstorm: In order to come up with a great idea, I like to avoid all distractions and be somewhere quiet where I can do this. Sometimes business ideas come from talking with other people in a noisy discussion and some come up in quiet thought…either way, with enough time and thought, most things can be overcome.

Thanks To: Marc Anderson of TalktoCanada.com

64. Mark Those Benches

How To Brainstorm: Benchmark with companies not part of your usual business sphere. Ask them, formally or informally, how they found more clients or improved sales or products. Apply their ideas to your circumstances. And, be sure afterwards, to thank them for their time and information. Because there is no competitive risk involved, most companies will be happy to assist.

Thanks To: Marlene Caroselli of Principled Persuasion

65. What Does Your Customer Want?

How To Brainstorm: Ask your customers what they really want and are not finding elsewhere — then meet the need! Or, continue offering that product, service or attribute!

Thanks To: Andrea Gold of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau

66. Shake It !

How To Brainstorm: When we are stuck we turn on the iPod and jam to crazy tunes and perhaps even dance! Bottomline is you have to take a step back and reposition your brain. When you are engaged in another activity and not obsessing, the ideas flow!rnrnWe are always jotting down new ideas and emailing them to ourselves at random times so we don’t forget and then we move on. Good things come when you least expect them!

Thanks To: Deborah Munies of Vivique – Maternity Apparel

67. Ideas Must Have These Three

How To Brainstorm: New business or product ideas are pretty easy to come up with, for me anyway. After 30 years of doing this, I’ve narrowed the qualifications that each idea must have before it goes to the next stage.

1. Is the target market easy to identify.
2. Is the target market easy to reach.
3. Is the target market large enough to make significant money over an extended period of time.

Thanks To: John Schulte of National Mail Order Association

68. For A New, Good Idea, Try . .

How To Brainstorm: Sure, you can read lots of blogs, tweets, articles and books for inspiration. I find that by just talking to myself – yes, I’m from New York City and it’s legal here – without trying to think of an idea, new ones come to me. rnrnBy commenting to myself on what I see going on around me, I actually stimulate my brain in a way when I just “think” to myself. rnrnTry it; what’s the worst that can happen? Get arrested for impersonating a New Yorker?

Thanks To: Alan Siege of Small Business Mgmt. Consulting

69. Brainy Thoughts

How To Brainstorm: So we’re all connected because humans naturally have a need to be social. Great in concept but we all know how we fall short in the connecting arena.

Ideas are generated by being engaged at all levels using all your senses. Seeing, hearing, or even a quick thought about doing something different. Be bold use your imagination and have fun…People like fresh ideas even bad ones…

Thanks To: Jerry Pollio of CMT Creative Marketing

70. Get Them Out On The Table

How To Brainstorm: I believe the best way to go about brainstorming great business ideas is to get them out on the table. Talk about your company with everyone that you come into contact with. Talk about your products. Live your business. Wear your business and promote and market your business.

Thanks To: Sheila A Caruso of AVON

71. Chillax!

How To Brainstorm: Yes, Chill out + relaxation = Chillaxing. Stress keeps ideas stuck. Block some time out for yourself & give your massive untapped creativity, brainstorming & terrific Business Breakthroughs time to breathe.

Thanks To: Marie O’Riordan of Marie O’Riordan International

72. Be Creative In Your Thinking.

How To Brainstorm: Study the trends. One has to anticipate what consumers will want not only right now, but also years down the road. Do whatever you can to stay on top of what’s hot and what’s not, and what will be in the future. Read magazines, newspapers, and go online and read blogs like this one.

Thanks To: Tracy Wright of Executees, Inc.

73. Stuck? Try An Idea Makeover!

How To Brainstorm: So you’re stuck for a new idea to sell, market, or build a better product? Try giving an old idea a makeover. Take a failed concept and give it a workout: Ask what didn’t work before and why? What did you learn? Measure it, resize it. Change the order, rewrite the pitch, double the price. (Cut the price in half?) Execute with 10 times the steam! Chances are there was good in the old idea, and you’re smarter this time than when you first tried it.

Thanks To: David Cohen of Equation Arts.com

74. Keep ‘em Coming Back…

How To Brainstorm: I like to offer a coupon or samples with orders that go out. Not only are you exposing your customers to more products they haven’t tried but with a coupon they will be willing to come back and buy again.

Thanks To: Cindy Tollen of Sudz N Bubbles, Ltd.

75. Tweet Tweet!

How To Brainstorm: I have had tremendous networking and brainstorming success with people I’ve met on Twitter! I’ve connected with some fantastic individuals and have received a lot of great ideas on how to grow my business. So if you’re not on Twitter yet, I would definitely recommend giving it a try! The best part…it’s free and easy to use!

Thanks To: Kia Robertson of Today I Ate A Rainbow!

76. Check Out The Competition

How To Brainstorm: Sometimes knowing what the competition is doing can help you stay one step ahead. It doesn’t hurt to make a trip to a store to see who else is offering a similar product or service. Take a look at how your product compares to similar products and work to make your product stand out more. A store visit may also provide you with a chance to chat with potential customers so that you can find out what they’re looking for.

Thanks To: Tangela Walker-Craft of Simply Necessary, Incorporated

77. Lost Your Idea? Never Again!

How To Brainstorm: Ever notice that great ideas always come at the most inconvenient times! In fact the greatest ideas of our time have never made it out of the shower!rnrnI keep a scuba diver underwater writing pad that cost me less than $20 in my shower! This way when I get that great idea I can write it down before it’s lost.

Thanks To: Evan Money of Evan Money Inc.

78. Showers Bring Many Flowers

How To Brainstorm: Get away from your desk! I get my very best ideas in water (a pool, a shower etc…). Found out I am not the only person who finds water creatively productive. Now I use AquaNotes(TM) by ShowerThinker to capture my brainstorms — waterproof pad/pen to capture the flowers of ideas that come to me in water.
If you don’t like water, try the many websites that focus on innovation and creativity — but surf those sites someplace other than your normal workspace.

Thanks To: Kate Nasser of The People-Skills Coach, CAS, Inc.

79. Throw It On The Wall

How To Brainstorm: Take large pieces of paper either flip chart, butcher or whatever you have and just start writing ideas up there. Don’t edit them or try to justify them just write them. Then when you have at least one page full have a party with a few close colleagues/friends and get their advice. See what attracts or excites them. Narrow it down to the top 10 and you can do a feasibility analysis to determine your next steps. By the way drinks and food help.

Thanks To: Harriet Cohen of Training Solutions

80. Know When To Ask For Help

How To Brainstorm: As entrepreneurs we often feel like we have to do everything on our own. We want new business ideas, product ideas, marketing ideas but instead of talking with others or finding a mentor we try to squeeze new ideas out of our tired brains.

We’re human – created to be in relationships and to work with others. We need to remember that it’s okay to ask for help – and that sometimes just talking with another business owner can lead to ideas you could never have come up with on your own!

Thanks To: Jill Hart of SCW Mentoring

81. Live Inspired

How To Brainstorm: What inspires you? It doesn’t have to be related to business or money either. It could be a beautiful sunset over the ocean, painting, or breaking out the air guitar to you favorite Kings Of Leon song. For me, it is listening to smart, creative people talk about the things they love. That’s when my brain is firing on all cylinders and ideas start pulsing through my mind one after the other. Recognize the things in life that move you and you’ll be well on your way to becoming an idea powerhouse.

Thanks To: Cory Huddleston of Trendy Lemon

82. Get A Mastmind Going

How To Brainstorm: Find like minded and supportive people and start a Master Mind group. The focus of the group is to grow each others businesses, bounce ideas around, and come up with some unique ideas for getting new clients or more sales. It really does work when everyone is vested in participating.

Thanks To: Dotty Scott of Premium Websites

83. No Man Is An Island

How To Brainstorm: A meeting of the minds of like minded individuals, abeit, social internet or physical gathering, is most beneficial. Everybody has at least one idea different than yours of which you can use or expand on. Many times I can charm some of my piers over to lunch and brainstorm ideas with pen and paper. Ideas, suggestions and opinions abound in wealth. Technology still has not taken the place or benefit of personal interaction. You do not have to be alone……………………

Thanks To: Carolyn Bartz of LIVING YOUR PASSION

84. One For All; All For One

How To Brainstorm: Find 2 other business owners or sales persons who share your positive core values and complement your products or services. Form a strategic alliance where 1 for all; all for 1 reigns. Now there are 3 of you finding potential clients instead of just 1 of you. In some cases you may even secure larger clients because your 1 for All; All for 1″ alliance presents a far stronger presence.

Thanks To: Leanne Hoagland-Smith of ADVANCED SYSTEMS

85. Play First Brainstorm Second

How To Brainstorm: When I have a major decision to make and need to get the brainpower going, I take time off first -go for a walk, see a movie, dinner with friends -totally turning off the biz brain for some fun…then magic happens when I bring my brain back to the question at hand. I brainstorm with at least 1 other person and preferably more to get the power of several perspectives!

Thanks To: Ann Ronan of Authentic Life Institute

86. Walk Away!

How To Brainstorm: It’s simple…walk away, walk very far away from that damn soul sucking computer! Go somewhere that gets your creative juices flowing, bring a pen and paper or a voice recorder and make note of all the great ideas that pop into your head. You may think you’re slacking off but actually it’s the best thing to get you back in the flow.

Thanks To: Kirsten Mahoney of Insight Out Life Coaching

87. Just Breathe Silly

How To Brainstorm: I have learned how important it is to shut my eyes and let the world go away. Shutting your eyes is extremely important to the health of the nervous system, in closing your eyes you regain your balance and proper focus. Close your eyes and take a few deep breathes. It really rejuvenates your senses and sharpens the mind. Of course I wouldn’t recommend using this technique while you’re driving, maybe at stop light. My best ideas come right before I fall asleep. I have to keep note pad by bed.

Thanks To: Mardena Crimaldi of Happy, Healthy and Hot!

88. You Don’t Have To Be A Loner!

How To Brainstorm: You don’t have to go at it alone. The key to getting good ideas out in the open is to bounce ideas off with another person. Grab your buddy, wife, or collegue and brainstorm together. I can’t think of how many days I must have spent sitting in my desk chair staring blankly at the wall, hoping the next great idea would suddenly appear. Two heads are definitely better than one! Invite someone you trust for some coffee, and interact with one another for an hour or two, and watch the sparks fly!

Thanks To: Alexis Avila of Prepped & Polished

89. Connect The Ideas

How To Brainstorm: Brainstorming is about quantity of ideas, not quality. As an introvert I capture thoughts on paper that pop into my head, otherwise they’ll stay there. Once those ideas are captured, let them noodle around: go for a walk, play with your dog (your neighbors dog is fine too), or work on something entirely different. Give yourself the time to brainstorm, maybe even overnight. Then apply the ‘other’ test: discuss with someone you trust and believe more successful than yourself.

Thanks To: Patricia Weber of Business Coach for Introverts & Shy

90. Be A Blessing Brainstorming

How To Brainstorm: Do you want to have customer loyalty? Looking for a new brainstorming topic for your team? Try this one on for size – “Be a Blessing Brainstorming.”

Think about it – how can your company be a blessing to your customers and clients? Instead of focusing on sell, sell, and sell more while brainstorming ideas, why not brainstorm about giving back and blowing the socks off others? Yep…be a blessing brainstorming is sure to cause a buzz, causing clients to love you.

Thanks To: Krista Dunk of Koinonia Business Women

91. The Beach Ball Effect

How To Brainstorm: I brainstorm new business ideas by bouncing ideas off colleagues. Once ideas start forming, the more fluid they come and I can’t seem to write them down fast enough. Then, from those ideas, I narrow it down until I find what will best accomplish my business endeavor.

Thanks To: Jennifer Vaaler of Vaaler, ink

92. Picture Your Ideal Customer

How To Brainstorm: If you want to attract more customers and improve your business, first you need to identify who you want to attract. Start making a list of their attributes. See your business from their eyes.
New ideas of what your customers might want to buy will surface. If you have an email list, survey your customers to test your new assumptions. If your ideas are valid, you’ll find new ways to be a preferred resource for products or services.

Thanks To: Kathy Mason of Mason Works ,LLC

93. A Change Of Scenery

How To Brainstorm: When I get bogged down and need to brainstorm for ideas, I take my trusty notebook to Starbucks for a change of scenery. I sit there, drink coffee and watch the people. Within an hour my head is cleared and I almost always have a to-do-list of actions to take when I get back to my office. At the very least, I’ve enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and some great human theater!

Thanks To: Suzanne Shaffer of Parents Countdown to College Coach

94. Business Brainstorming Secrets

How To Brainstorm: This is a tip that is so easy yet effective I almost don’t want to share it. But here goes. I will grab 3-5 business magazines and start thumbing through them. Seeing different ideas in advertisements and story headlines always helps me generate tons of new ideas very quickly. In fact, I would say magazine surfing is probably the best brainstorming method there is as you can generate so many ideas so quickly by skimming through magazines.

Thanks To: Peter Geisheker of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm

95. Brainstorming Brilliant Ideas!

How To Brainstorm: I used to listen to audio books about marketing and service while driving… and then record the highlights into a handheld recorder. One day while driving I thought “geez if someone just had these Brilliant Ideas… I’d pay them for it!” And alas… the rest is history. I’ve built a business based on exactly that… providing brilliant marketing ideas. (I think this was a shameless plug – but it is my HONEST answer to the blog topic!)

Thanks To: Kimberlee Hayward of Brilliant Marketing!

96. Give Your Brain A Rest!

How To Brainstorm: When was the last time you DIDN’T think about your business? We all need down time to recharge our batteries and our creativity. If you are having difficulty concentrating or coming up with new ideas, then it is time to take a break. Do something that you ENJOY! Disconnect from your business for even an hour or two and the ideas will start coming. Disconnect for a day or two and your mind will be racing with ideas. To your success!

Thanks To: Stephanie Calahan of Calahan Solutions, Inc.

97. Visit A Museum!

How To Brainstorm: To stay creative I always visit the museum; it gives me plenty of ideas for my clients and my own company in regards to marketing. Many museums like the Brooklyn Museum or the Museum of Natural History have detailed stories of the exhibits and can help you formulate ideas. A museum is also a great place to free your mind from the web, cell phones and annoying people.

A perfect place to “Get it All Together!”

Thanks To: Zanade Mann of Online & Off PR

98. One Sheet Many Ideas

How To Brainstorm: When I need ideas or suggestions I pull out my one sheet. On the sheet of paper I write down numbers 1 through 100. I challenge myself to see how many ideas I can come up with.

If you are a book writer see how many titles for books you can come up with. If you have a new concept see how many ways you can market the product or service.

Type your ideas up in word and label the file one sheet so you know where to go when you have writers or creators block in front of you.

Thanks To: Derrick Hayes of WOE Enterprises

99. Know Your Customers!

How To Brainstorm: The best way to brainstorm on any aspect of improving your business is from the customer’s persepective. Follow a few of your core customers for a day or a week; view their habits, understand their “pain points”, lurk where they spend time online, figure out what you can do to provide more value to them…this will provide incredible insight and guidance for you.

Thanks To: Carol Roth of CarolRoth.com

100. Network, Baby!!

How To Brainstorm: Pick someone else’s brain…NETWORK with others! It doesn’t matter if they are in the same field as you or not, gather ideas from other entrepeneurs. As a community of entrepeneurs, we need to SHARE ideas and learn from each other’s experiences.

Thanks To: Jocelyn Wiebe of AmeriPlan

101. Compliment & Collaborate!

How To Brainstorm: Looking to expand your client base? Think of all the people you know who have businesses that compliment yours. Reach out to them first as referral partners. Better yet, put your minds together about how you can offer a joint promotion or joint event. You both get double the exposure, and the cross-pollination of client bases continues to reap rewards as word-of-mouth referrals spread even faster.

Thanks To: Karen Shopoff Rooff of Balance Personal Fitness Training

102. Listen Well

How To Brainstorm: I ask my family what I have been complaining about most (outside of them…..). Since innovations come from needs, dissatisfactions, and curiosities, if there is something that bothers me enough to gripe about it multiple times, then my challenge is to find a way to (do it, work around it, or fix it). My family knows me a lot better than anyone else in the world – and they know when something is bothering me.

Thanks To: David Pensak of George Washington University

103. The Calm Before The Storm

How To Brainstorm: Taking a walk, a drive, a shower – anything that occupies your mind and body a bit, gets you away from thinking about what you THINK you’re thinking about…let your mind wander and enjoy the moment. Ideas come like water.

Thanks To: Barbara Hranilovich of Hranilovich Illustration/BARBCO

104. The Win-win Approach

How To Brainstorm: If you have a product or an idea, you canrnapproach very visible magazines or advertising agencies with a proposal to advertise theirrnservice on your product. For example, ifrnyou have a cosmetic product that you have developed, you can put a small banner on the box that says, “AS SEEN IN ELLE MAGAZINE”rnOf course, Elle magazine will put a free ad in for you and you advertise their mag on your product. It becomes a win win situation for the both of you.

Thanks To: Gerry Hoylie of Allana Enterprises

105. Get Out Of Your Head!

How To Brainstorm: As a solo business owner, we are often very isolated and tend to be around other solopreneurs. I suggest getting out and about when you get stuck. Go to a cafe, take a walk, invite a friend to lunch, volunteer at your local library or school. Just different scenery can spark new thoughts and ideas! As Sheryl Crow says…”A Change Will Do You Good!”

Thanks To: Danielle Miller of Miller Coaching & Consulting Intl

106. Try To Make Your Ideas Crazy

How To Brainstorm: Sometimes the craziest ideas brought up in a brainstorming session end up being the ones that lead to changes in your business. Don’t be afraid to keep your ideas realistic. Throw out the most off the wall ideas you can think of and then work them backward until they become realistic.

Thanks To: Tricia Meyer of Sunshine Rewards