Brainstorming is a process you can get better at with practice! Learn about the four rules of brainstorming and apply them to a fun challenge: making a pig fly.

Check out the brainstorming video:

Entrepreneurs have to think outside the box to tackle unique problems… like how to make a pig fly! But what does that mean, and how does one get outside of this box?

Fun fact: The phrase “outside the box” originated from an actual box used in a 1914 puzzle called ‘Nine Dots Puzzle’ (Sam Loyd’s Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles, Tricks, and Conundrums [With Answers]). Give it a try!

The metaphor goes that inside the box are ideas that already exist, and outside the box exist new, creative thoughts. (Which you’ll need to make a pig fly.) This is where an entrepreneur finds the type of ideas they can market research, design, test, and pitch. These are the ideas that allow the entrepreneur to make a business plan in order to create, deliver, and capture value.

 

Brainstorming is something you can practice not only with this activity, but anywhere in your life that you need to problem solve! But to get the best out of brainstorming, you’ll want to make sure you follow the four brainstorming rules:

1. There are no bad ideas! There is no right or wrong when brainstorming so don’t judge an idea, especially your own!
2. The more ideas the better. Brainstorm for quantity. Try to get 50 or 100 ideas before you review.
3. Wild and exaggerated ideas are welcome! Use your imagination. Suspend reality.
4. Capture everything. Every idea gets recorded as a quick sketch, a single word, or a quick phrase. They may be useful in some way!

At VentureLab, we know that impractical does not mean improbable.

• What if the light from fire could be captured and used safely?
• What if food could be delivered to my front door?
• What if cars could drive themselves?
• What if I could talk to someone on the other side of the world?

At some point in the past, these ideas were impossible. But someone had the creativity and the courage to dream big and think outside the box. Now that you know how to think outside the box, are you ready to make a pig fly?

 

 

 

 

 

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