How Mind Mapping Can Unlock Entrepreneurial Creativity and Innovation

You have the power to unlock new levels of creativity you couldn’t even fathom before.

Statistics show that over 20 percent of newly established businesses in the U.S. close within the first two years. That equates to around 155,000 companies, which is quite an astounding number. If you do not want your startup to be a part of these statistics, it may be time to start thinking outside the box. 

One way to ignite the creative spark within you is to create mind maps. Online mind mapping is a tool that is readily available and can increase innovation. Entrepreneurial creativity is now a necessity in this changing business landscape. To survive, business people need to be adaptable and innovative.

Let’s examine how mind maps can act as the key to unlocking an entrepreneur’s creative side.

Develop Creative Habits
People think creativity is something you are born with. However, that is not always true.

So, instead of thinking you aren’t creative, embrace the part of you that comes up with new ideas and thought processes and expand on it. The key to this is intentionally developing creative habits.
A detailed study conducted by Robert Epstein, a visiting professor at the University of California, stated that there are four main ways to practice, two of which can be done using mind maps:

• Challenge yourself by taking on challenging cases to get past the creative blocks. For example, come up with scenarios in which you make skyscrapers fly or make suitcases that can pack themselves.
• Recording your ideas is critical. Once you have challenged yourself and come up with some fantastic ideas, you must keep a record of them. Mind maps can be a practical tool to do so and stimulate your subconscious, so you keep coming up with new ones.
  
  

Whole Brain Thinking by Tony Buzan, the inventor of modern mind mapping, says that it is a great way to engage your whole brain in the learning and thinking process.

Everyone knows about or has at least heard the terms ‘right brain’ and ‘left brain.’ Well, whole-brain thinking helps you use both sides of the brain to think better. Your brain already does this to keep you alive, so you end up synchronizing both sides unconsciously. 

The left and right brains have different functions. For example, the left brain is responsible for making logical links. This can help improve creativity because this side makes associations between things that are not even unrelated, which is how innovation takes place. 

The right side is primarily responsible for our creative thinking. 

Since mind maps combine text, shapes, colors, and images, they appeal to both the right and left sides of the brain. So, you can utilize mind maps to explore imaginative, unusual ideas that your right brain comes up with and use the technique to organize them and put them together using logical links.

Organizing Your Ideas
Be creative and productive by setting up a system that allows you to organize all your ideas. Making a mind map can help you manage all data, quotes, references, and images related to these or spark inspiration. Even if it is a statistical analysis chart showcasing the market of your product. If relevant and helpful to the idea you would like to come up with, add it to the mind map.

Organizing helps you better make associations and links to make all the ideas come together to create the flow you are looking for. You also become confident in your vision and develop more precise concepts that others can easily understand.

Keeps Your Head In The Game
People either struggle with having no ideas or too many at the same time. The mind is a powerful thing but does have limits. Mind maps allow you to put all concepts in one place and work on them one by one instead of getting overwhelmed.

In Conclusion
There is no denying the importance of innovation and creativity when it comes to becoming a successful entrepreneur. All successful entrepreneurs practice ways to inspire ideas and keep innovating. With mind mapping, you get to unlock new levels of creativity you couldn’t even fathom before.

By JT Ripton
Photo credit: Unsplash

Contact one of your professional coaches at the The Coaching Group of Switzerland for support.