1.3.4 Generation of ideas from everyday activities
You can identify many small business ideas merely by being aware of the activities that we perform daily. Use the following methods to identify ideas from everyday activities.
Use print or electronic media: think of the products that are advertised on television, in magazines and newspapers. Ask yourself whether they can be improved or distributed or marketed in a different way.
Looking in other places: You can come-up with business ideas by looking in unlikely places. Use the following questions to help:
- What ideas can you get at an airport, a movie theatre, church / mosque/ synagogue, taxi rank, township commercial areas, sports stadium, train station etc?
- What ideas can you bring back from a sports meeting, a fun fair or hospital?
- Explore a part of your town or city that you have not seen before. What do you notice?
Talk to other people: Have conversations with your family, friends, colleagues and business people and find out if they have come across possible small business ideas.
At work: Ask yourself if the products and services that are used by the enterprise where you work could be improved?
Shopping: Examine some of the products on your next visit to the shops. Ask questions about the products like:
- What problems are there with this product?
- How can the product be improved in any way?
- Is there a better way for the product to be packaged?
- Can any new product be added to the present range of products?
- Can the product be aimed at another market?
For Example
The child-proof lid, which is used on medicine bottles to prevent children opening the bottle, probably was developed after someone thought about the dangers of medicine bottles. Changes in your immediate area: Important events in your area impacts on the environment and can help to identify ideas. For example, if a South African sports team wins a championship or Olympic medal, this creates an
1.3.4 Generation of ideas from everyday activities