6 Tips to Hatch Incredibly Good Ideas
Everyone
wants to be more creative but sometimes coming up with good ideas is
easier said than done. If you could use a dose of inspiration, take
some cues from Alex Shlaferman, founder and CEO of Brooklyn-based
Vante
Toys.
The
21-year-old NYU dropout is a self-made millionaire who earned his
first $10,000 at the age of 11 by selling a DVD of himself teaching a
levitation trick. At age 15, he began pitching kitchen gadgets at
state fairs across the country, making up to $8,000 a day. After
saving $30,000, Alex launched his toy company in 2010, spent three
years building relationships with major retailers, set up a factory
in China, and turned Vante Toys into a multimillion-dollar company
that now employs 40 full-time staff members. His latest invention,
Wallet Ninja--a credit card-sized multi-tool that functions as a
screwdriver, iPhone stand, bottle opener, and more--has reaped nearly
$10 million in sales since hitting the market nine months ago. He has
also inked deals with more than 25 major retailers and top
distributors in more than 25 countries.
Here's
what he says you need to do to get a creative edge.
Come up with an idea without worrying about how you'll make it work.
As
a child magician, Shlaferman found the secret to inventing the
coolest tricks was coming up with the most absurd idea, then reverse
engineering it to figure out how to make it work. In other words, he
generates ideas without worrying about method. "You don't think
of how you're going to do something first," he says. "You
think of what it is you want to accomplish and then you work
backward."
Acknowledge that anything is possible.
Most
people need to break a barrier in their mind that limits their
creativity. "People have these assumptions, 'Well isn't that
going to happen? Aren't there rules to this? Isn't it supposed to be
like this?' And the way I always respond is, 'Says who? You could do
anything that you want.'"
Travel to faraway places, but by yourself.
Sure,
it's nice to go places with friends but doing so also keeps you in a
comfort zone in which you won't be taking risks and meeting new
people. Shlaferman has traveled alone to several countries in Asia
and South America. "When youtravel alone, you force yourself
into a survival mode where you have to do things and you have to meet
people and you have to push yourself to figure out what's going on
unless you want to be in your room all day," he says "It's
the most exhilarating, inspiring, creative thing that there is."
Think.
It
sounds simple, but considering the gadgets most people have in hand
most of their waking hours, it's easy to thoughtlessly check out by
scrolling social networks or wasting time online. "When was the
last time you just sat there for a good 10, 15, 20 minutes and just
thought?" he says. "Albert Einstein used to take really
long walks whenever he had a problem. He would walk for hours just
thinking and thinking about things."
Always take the rarer opportunity.
If
you get a chance to do something that doesn't present itself every
day, go for it. "The only things you'll regret in your life are
the things you didn't do," he says. "So don't think too
much about it. Just do it."
Instead of protecting your ideas, talk about them with everyone.
Plenty
of entrepreneurs hold their ideas close to them for fear someone will
steal them away. But making a good idea actually come to fruition
involves a tremendous investment of time, energy, and often, money.
"It's a 24/7 life dedication and to assume your friend or a
stranger is willing to put in that amount of effort and has that
passion for something that you are discussing is totally
unrealistic," he says. "Discuss your ideas with everybody.
Don't be scared, and you'll be shocked at how much insight that you
receive."
CHRISTINA
DESMARAIS
Christina
DesMarais is an Inc.com contributor
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