Where to Find Your Next Big Idea

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Companies large and small are always searching for the product or idea that will become The Next Big Thing, but inspiration may be closer than you think.

Start with customer feedback, advises Maryalene LaPonsie at Small Business Computing. Customers rarely hold back – especially when they can voice their opinions anonymously. So study suggestion cards, online reviews and other sources to see what they’re saying. If enough of them agree on a direction they think you should take, they may be right.

Finding new applications and channels for your products and services is another easy way to grow, and maybe making your product simpler could be a counterintuitive way to grow by expanding your potential customer base. And look to other industries for ideas that could translate into success for your business.

The biggest breakthroughs often don’t involve completely new ideas, but the novel application of existing ideas.

Adapted from How to Find Your Next Big Idea at Small Business Computing.