Growing your small business demands creativity and innovation from all levels of your organization. Often times there are creative minds lurking quietly among your staff without being given the voice to make a difference. When given the proper platform your team can propel your business forward. Taking the time to cultivate an environment that encourages innovation takes several steps.

Solicit Employee Suggestions

Nurturing the creativity of your employees benefits your business. Not only does it make them feel like they are a part of something, the ideas they share can help shape your future. Encourage active participation from all employees when it comes to brainstorming ways to improve your company. You can set up suggestion boxes and hold an open forum during company meetings to open up discussions.

Learn From Your Team

Chances are your responsibilities as CEO take up a large portion of your time. While daily operations can’t take a back seat it can be a good idea to contribute in other ways. Consider helping your staff with their tasks and learn something new. This not only breaks the monotony of your day it can also provide you with insights into how to improve the efficiency of your business.

Create Company Culture

Getting to know the people that make your business run can provide you with long term relationships and the satisfaction of watching people you care about succeed. It also gives you an opportunity to share stories and business experiences. Building camaraderie with your employees will encourage them to work harder for you and in the end allow you to provide a higher quality product. Personify what you want the culture at your company to be.

Educate And Advance

Continuing to educate yourself as well as your employees is at the core of small business innovation. Knowing the ins and outs of your industry as well as the challenges that have yet to be solved will give you the foundation necessary to craft new ideas. There are an endless amount of online courses that offer an easy way to learn new concepts. An investment in higher education will increase your credibility and provide you with strong connections that will help move your company forward.

Develop New Positions

Technology and the complexities of today’s business world require small companies to expand their infrastructure. A strong online presence has become a fundamental aspect of any business plan and having the right people in place to make that happen is more important than ever. Often times an owner will take on too big of a workload, which can cause inefficiencies and stagnation. Delegating responsibilities will help free up time for you to focus on growing your business.  Yearly reviews offer a great opportunity to open up communication and elicit ideas from your team.

Attend Live Events

Attending industry events will expose you to the latest products and trends. This serves as research that can be used to create new and better solutions to common issues. Trade shows are also major networking opportunities and the connections made can impact every aspect of your business. You may come in contact with potential clients, distributors, suppliers and even employees. Make sure you have a clear plan and objective before attending to ensure you get the most out of the experience.

Pay Attention To Your Health

Proper nutrition and getting enough sleep contributes greatly to health and longevity. They also help to reduce the significant stress levels associated with running a small business. Taking time off is important to keep your mind fresh. Making a conscious effort to take care of yourself on a daily basis will improve your overall health as well as the health of your business.

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