The Importance Of Creativity In Business

During this time of Covid-19, one of the most discussed topics, aside from health, is economics. While some states have reopened, others have remained shut down or will close again in the coming months due to the second wave. As a result, many businesses, specifically small businesses, have suffered greatly. Many scrambled to adjust essentially overnight and, if they were unable to do so, found themselves lagging behind.

Creativity is Definitely a Must-Have Now

With the uncertainty of this time, as well as the future, creativity may be more important now than ever before. Having a creative mindset toward your business or the company for which you work may make the difference between success and failure in these volatile times. While typically practical people, business owners can survive this economic hardship — and those to come — with out-of-the-box thinking, and perhaps even discover ways to grow.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus and its impact is not something many of us could have predicted. If you own a company, you may find yourself in a difficult situation for reasons outside of your control. The lack of control is, I think, one of the most financially challenging aspects to this pandemic. You did not cause this downturn, so you, an owner or employee, cannot learn from making a specific mistake. And you do not have power over the entire situation, so you may not feel like you have the power to address issues that the lockdown has created for you. However, as with anything in life, we cannot control certain events, but we can control how we respond to them.

Successful entrepreneurs act as the perfect amalgamation of creativity and business.

Effective entrepreneurs can spot an unaddressed problem and then build a company to solve it. They have learned to combine the big picture, or the problem, and the daily picture, or specifics of the business operations. As a serial entrepreneur, I will be the first to say that it takes a lot of work and practice to be able to marry these skills. Often, projects fail. But sometimes they take off. While entrepreneurs are praised for their initial innovation, we sometimes overlook the ability to sustain that creativity. Whether you are a young entrepreneur or someone who has owned a small company for decades, Covid-19 has amplified the need to assume a creative mindset. You proved inventive when you started a company to solve a problem or provide a service, so why neglect your imagination now?

If we can learn to tap into our ingenuity, I believe we can learn to pivot quickly. While this pandemic has especially been harmful to small businesses, these companies may have a certain advantage. I believe the size of a company can influence its ability to change. Smaller companies have fewer people shouldering the work, but they also have fewer people to organize and educate. This means that if you want to implement a new process or follow through on new ideas, you can push the change through faster. Just as it is with ships, the larger the boat, the longer and harder it is to turn.

Perhaps you transitioned to virtual work relatively quickly, or maybe you found the unknown technology difficult to navigate. Yet in order to survive this downturn, you may need to shift your mentality. Instead of viewing yourself as scraping by during this pandemic, perhaps you can start to think about how to push your business to be better than before. While there are certainly harsh realities, maybe this time can facilitate you to grow as an owner and a company, and incorporate optimism and the willingness to think creativity into your approach. Maybe you can find a new way to still deliver your service or begin providing a new one. You could seek to better your online presence, marketing or products. Whatever it may be, I believe that if we sit down and brainstorm, we can come up with new ways to expand our organizations. In fact, you may be surprised by what you discover.

How does creativity impact your business once the pandemic is under control?

After all, these really are exceptional circumstances. But these times also act as an extreme example of change. Once we return to “normal,” whenever that may be, we will still experience challenges. As someone who has started many businesses, I have had my fair share of ups and downs. Successful companies are not those that haven’t encountered obstacles, but rather those that can overcome them. The future always holds a certain level of unknown. I believe that creativity is the No. 1 tool that can allow you to adjust and conquer hardships. If you can find a way to value creativity in your business model, you may just find yourself excelling, even in difficult times.