You would think working in the cannabis industry we could never run out of ideas. Truth is, any entrepreneur needs a little inspiration once in a while. But what do you do when taking a couple rips ins’t enough? At times, reflecting on your brand and putting some time aside to brainstorm can be what you need. These tips not only jump start your creative process, it leads to engaging conversations. If you’re a team bigger than you, work through some of these tips with your team mates to reach even higher.
Rubber Duck It
There’s an old tech story about a programmer that would carry around a rubber duck and explain line by line the code they wrote. Maybe this is something I carried over from my coding days, but I have to admit it really works! It all comes down to communication. When we explain out loud the problem we are facing, the solutions are more likely to be clear. Saying our issues out loud causes us to slow down and think more clearly about our words. Also, once we assume the ignorance of the inanimate object, we are forced to simplify the issue.
So go ahead, grab your favorite bong and spill all your business issues. It could just fix everything.
Benchmark Your Journey
The journey to success can be long when you don’t have a goal in sight. Take a moment to jot down some pain points that need to be resolved in the next six months – the bigger, the better! Now that sticky note might be too much to tackle in one day, but how about 182 days? Break down weekly short-term goals that you can achieve to get you to that six month mark. Constant reward makes the pain points seem manageable and helps the process fly by.
Be the Brand
People always look at me crazy when I explain this to them the first time. It’s time to start treating our brands as if it was a person. I know it will feel funny at first but trust me, it’s not a new concept. Celebrities and major companies do it all the time. In this day and age people hate to be sold. Instead, they want to feel connected. Personifying your brand is as easy as listing your brand qualities, building an archetype, refining qualities and then defining your personality! I always emphasize this with all of my clients and include these services in any branding package.
Steal (the right way)
You already know the old adage, “good artists copy; great artists steal”. But all good business owners understand they don’t strive to steal the product, but the strategy behind it. If there is an idea so inspiring you can’t help but borrow it, first determine why it’s so enticing to begin with. A lot of the times it’s the why that inspires us, not the what. Breaking down the reasons why you were so attracted to an idea can lead you to finding new solutions for your own business.
Work through these on your own time (or with a friend!) and see if any work for your biggest roadblocks.
