3 Ways to Use Creativity in your Small Business
Your creativity is what is going to build a unique, sustainable business! A bold statement, but oh, the glorious creativity is everything. It’s what sets you apart and builds the brand, only you can build. Here are 3 ways you can use creativity in your small business.
Creativity is your unique capital, your unique currency if you will. It’s what sets you apart from everyone else in your field, in life, and in business.
Enjoying your business is one of the most important things, isn’t it? Making a profit is obviously important too, but if you don’t enjoy your business you’ll probably find an easier way to make a living by having a job.
When you make the decision to transition from having a creative hobby to becoming an entrepreneur, not losing sight of why you want this transition, will help you keep going.
3 ways to use creativity to build your business
You’ll hear plenty of advice about how to build your business and whether you identify as a creative entrepreneur, an artist, or a small business owner. My advice is always, to find a way to approach business that works for you.
If you’re into the sales jargon of building 6 and 7-figure businesses by changing your money mindset, hustling, and following someone else’s plan, this post isn’t for you.
Build your business by using creativity in your work
Your work is what I suggest you spend most of your time on. Focus a big chunk of time on getting better at your craft. Practice and keep seeing if you can find a way to get better. Make it your mission to keep learning and keep getting better.
How are you a little different than your colleagues? Is it your approach, your choice of colors, or your opinion about your industry? It can be small, tiny differences that make your business different.
Loads of authors write thrillers, but they’re all different. Stephen King and Linwood Barclay are both brilliant thriller writers, but their books are very different.
Another example is wedding photographers. There are loads of those, but many have their own style, and what they focus on.
How can you create work that is an expression of your unique view and style?
Be creative in how you share your work
Sharing your work, your art or design, is an exciting part of building your business, whether your preferred platform is Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, or another one. I’m deliberately not using the word marketing, as so many of us get associations that are more shouty, than creative.
Thinking of marketing as simply sharing your work, is a more joyful and creative way to think of this part of building your creative business. I always recommend you show us your process. I LOVE getting a peek into how creatives do what they do. It’s super inspiring.
Can you take snapshots of your day? Do you love graphics? Maybe you can play around with creating different designs that show off your creative flair or your creative work or services in a new and fun way.
Using creativity in sharing your work makes it easier to stay in your own lane. You give comparison much harder conditions to take over your creative inspiration. You’ll spend more time focusing on enjoying your own work and sharing it becomes easier and less scary in time. You’ll become more creatively confident.
“Creativity is your unique currency. Your unique capital.
No one has or ever can have, your expression, as they are not you.”
Be creative in your customer experiences
Your relationship with your customer says so much about how you do business and your belief and approach to business in general. How do you want your relationship to be with your customers? What kind of people do you just really enjoy being around? How do you like people to feel after doing business with you?
Questions like these are wonderfully open-ended and you can create exactly the customer experience you want, which in turn inspires you to have even more customers.
Create an experience with doing business with you, that gives you confidence, and makes you feel proud of your business.
Use your creative process
Your creative process is gold. This delicious, personal, intense relationship with yourself and your creativity, is your most precious thing. It’s the beginning, middle, and end of your creative work. One of the things I love most about being a creativity coach is helping you discover this gem of a process.
When you focus on enjoying your process and respecting yourself, and your creative work, a shift happens inside you. You no longer work for prestige, goals, or perfection. You work because you enjoy it!
For many of us creative entrepreneurs, the space we work in can be super important and affect our work process. And before you think I’m saying you have to have a kitted-out office or big art studio, that’s not what I mean. I sat at our dining table for a good few years writing and creating, surrounded by 3 kids and hubby watching telly nearby. I still wrote over 100 blog posts.
Making your space nice and “hyggelig” is a small way you can enjoy working a little more. You don’t need to make drastic changes. Lighting a candle, adding a flower, changing your chair, small changes can have a big effect. Being comfortable when you work, is sending a signal to yourself and your creativity, that you respect this time. Whether it’s for 10 minutes or 2 hours doesn’t matter.
There are many ways you can use your creativity to build your business. I’m only listing a few for you here. When you make your unique creative style, taste, beliefs, and inspiration the focus of your business, you’ll eventually build a business that is so uniquely you, that you become a destination brand. You’ll attract customers you enjoy working with, as you become exactly what they are looking for.
You become what Elizabeth Cairns calls, an empowered entrepreneur
I’m not saying your business journey will be all rosy or that you won’t have hard times and bad days. That is part of the packet as an entrepreneur, as you know, but you WILL be at the steering wheel of your life and business, and isn’t that the whole point?
