Page 28 - The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas

Ask the right question

Before generating business ideas you need to decide which problem or task you will think about.
Asking the r ig ht questio n is extr emely cr itical because it will deter mine the dir ectio n in which yo ur
br ain will think and the type o f ideas yo ur subco nscio us will g ener ate. Fo r example, if yo u lived in
the 19th century and asked: “How can I create faster horses?” you might have gotten ideas about how
to create a breed of faster horses or develop an effective training for horses. However, if you asked,
“Ho w can I g et peo ple fr o m po int A to po int B faster ?” yo u mig ht have invented a car, a tr ain o r a
plane.

Several questions are better than one

You may ask, “Andrii, it’s easy to know which question to ask looking into the past. How can I know
which questio n is r ig ht fo r my pr o blem that hasn’t been so lved yet?” Well, the mo r e questio ns yo u
ask, the higher the chance of finding a right question and generating a successful idea.

Spend 10 minutes thinking about your problem. Quickly write down at least 10 different versions of
the question you want to answer. Do not judge or evaluate questions so as to not activate the analytical
left brain. Your goal is to create as many questions as possible no matter how crazy or unreasonable.
Pick several questions that will allow you to look at the problem from different perspectives. If while
working on the problem you think in several different directions, your chances of finding a
successful business idea will be higher.

For example, if you want to answer the question, “How can I increase sales of the washing machines
that my plant pr o duces?” yo u may expr ess the same co ncept in the fo llo wing ways: “Ho w can I sell
mo r e than o ne washing machine to each custo mer ?” “What new pr o ducts can I sell?” “Ho w can the
plant increase the revenue?” “How can I sell washing machines not just to households, but also to
companies?” “How can I effectively promote the washing machines?” “How can I increase the quality
of my washing machines?” “How can I hire or train the most qualified sales representatives in the
market?” Thinking about each of these questions may bring you to the solution that the first question
won’t.

Sometimes you don’t create the successful business idea simply because you asked the wrong
question. No matter how experienced or talented you are, you won’t arrive at the right question every
single time. If while thinking on your problem you change questions occasionally, it will increase the
quality and quantity of successful ideas that you create. Always remember that the direction in which
you think may predetermine your ideas.

Questions that bring results

Your questions should be specific and action oriented for your subconscious to generate excellent
ideas. For example, instead of “Why don’t I have money to buy a new car?” ask “How can I earn
enough money to buy a new Honda Civic?” After asking a first question, your subconscious mind
may answer without thinking, “Because you don’t earn enough to buy a car.” If you ask a second
question in the example, your subconscious will suggest specific strategies for earning more money.
It will also know how much money you need exactly and suggest the ideas accordingly.