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DEVELOPING NEW BUSINESS IDEAS influential endorsement? Matt Stevenson, founder of Reef One which
manufactures a high-tech approach to the traditional fish bowl called
the ‘Biorb’, so impressed a wholesaler to whom he demonstrated an
early prototype made in his parents’ attic that the wholesaler bought
Stevenson’s entire output for the first nine months in order to secure
exclusivity of distribution.177

Explore the boundaries of the problem – look at other start-ups in the
sector: core users of finance, as it were; look at other sectors for lead
users who may have redefined the problem in different ways which
may inspire you.

Perhaps you choose to redefine the financial problem as how to start
your business without raising any external funds.

step 2: generating ideas to resolve the financial block
to implementation It is then time to consider using the tools and

techniques from Step 2: generating ideas.

Having used a checklist to identify the main functional areas where you
could reduce cost, you could choose to focus on staff costs. Had IKEA
applied the SCAMPER technique to staff costs, the results could have
included those in Table 6.4.

Table 6.4 Application of SCAMPER technique to IKEA staff costs

Substitute Instead of trained business professionals, recruit open-minded
non-graduates; substitute customers for retail assistants –
Combine provide customers with own tape measures, self-service
Adapt warehouse, high quality of product display and catalogue
Magnify (or minify) information

Put to other uses Train personnel on information desks to serve the dual function
Eliminate of salespeople and of accounts clerks; warehouse staff could
Rearrange (or reverse) also assist customers

Incorporate good ideas from individual stores into standard
corporate design

Magnify staff responsibility and ‘corporate ownership’ by
rewarding enterprising behaviour; magnify effective selling
time (as opposed to providing information); minify customer
service levels; minify business expenses

Rotate staff between functions in order to increase internal
efficiency, provide management development and reduce staff
turnover because of perceived job enrichment

Eliminate managers’ ability to ‘hide behind the hierarchy’ and
so flush out under-performance

Ensure managers work in front line to retain contact with
reality of retail