Connecting the Unconnected & Looking at the Other Side

Hi Everyone, and welcome back to my Business Creativity Blog!!

During my last blog, I spoke on "Knowing How to See" and being able to put the tunnel vision aside. It is important to understand how to tackle problems that arise in any business setting.

For me, my problem is importing products from Nicaragua. My biggest dream is opening an online business where I can sell products from Nicaragua in order to share my culture with others.

Getting back to my Creativity Strategies, today, I will be sharing with you all two strategies that I thought were very fun to go over, and really made me get out of my comfort zone.

First, I will talk about the strategy,

 "Connecting the Unconnected" 

This strategy speaks for itself, and it means connecting something that you thought would not make sense. Connections between dissimilar products, and items can lead to a creative sense that we were not aware of. This actually leads to the creation of ideas that no one else would have thought of.

In order to explain it properly, I will do a technique from the strategy called the Five Senses.

For the Technique, we will write down the 5 senses, and then select a solution for my problem, then we will make a connection between solution and the senses. 

• One of my solutions to my problem of Importing was partnering up with the Nicaraguan Department of Tourism, to utilize my business site to "promote tourism" in Nicaragua through the products I will be selling. This will give me an easier import of products to the United States. 

Now, we can use the 5 senses, and connect the unconnected!!

• Sight: Utilize a 360 video tour of Nicaragua's main tourist attraction for any person who visits the website, then they can choose which one is their favorite, and get a  coupon to a restaurant in that location.
  
• Smell: Through every purchase that a customer makes though the website, we will send them a brochure, and in the brochure, we will include the scent of traditional foods, and also flowers that represent Nicaragua!
  
• Hearing: Have music on the background of the website. Since we are promoting tourism, have soothing Folkloric music that will not only entice people to purchase, but be intrigued of the culture and music they are listening to. 

• Taste: Send food items made in Nicaragua to the customers that make purchases over a certain amount. Mostly candy, that represents the Nicaraguan culture. Some are made of coconut, caramel etc..
  

• Touch: To those customers who make a trip to Nicaragua, we can offer a tour to the "Lavada de Plata", which in translation is the "Washing of the Silver" in Chinandega, a city in Nicaragua. The Lavada de Plata, celebrates the religious culture in Nicaragua, and is done throughout the year. 

Connecting the Unconnected allowed me to see the business I am trying to open from a different perspective. One of the solutions was partnering up with the Nicaraguan Tourism Department in order to promote the country, but in reality, I never considered how a website could be interactive with the customers, and how I can share my culture in different ways other than just selling products. 

Now to the the Second Creative Strategy..

"Looking at the Other Side"

People are stuck in one set of thinking, which can be defined as boundaries. But the boundaries are created by us, and at any moment we can put them aside and think differently. This is where the strategy comes in. 

Let's reverse our thinking patterns, and provoke new ones. 

Next, we will use a Technique called Reverse Assumptions. In this case, let's use the the opening of my website that will sell handmade Nicaraguan products. 

In my business, the main assumptions is that we will have

• A website
• Products 
• Registration section

Let's reverse my assumption

• No website
• No products
• No registration

Now let's think of a way to make this assumptions a reality. 

• With not having a website, I can have a physical store where I can sell the products that will be imported from Nicaragua.
• Not having a product is a bit tricky...
• But instead of having products, my website can be dedicated to promote tourism, and book trips to Nicaragua. 
• Registration is always needed for a website, but instead of having a registration, the website can be a catalogue for people who wishes to visit the physical store to purchase products, or they can e-mail or call the company to make an appointment. 

Looking at the other side of the spectrum for my future venture was interesting. The technique was helpful in understanding the other options I have as a future entrepreneur. Promoting tourism can be an incredible opportunity share my culture, which is one of the main goals of my business. It also has added benefits, because it boosts the Nicaraguan economy, not a just the economy of a few.



Hope you enjoyed my blog, and catch you next time!!!:)


Best Regards,

Ana Guevara