At some point in your business, things will become stale in a sense. Just as there is monotony in relationships, there is monotony in businesses too and it can get quite repetitive and boring. So what’s a business to do? Well, you have to shake things up. Whether you’re wanting to find innovative ways to save more money or attract more customers, something has to be done.

Fortunately, this isn’t something you have to figure out on your own. Not only do you have several resources online but there are ideas everywhere that can inspire you in some form or fashion… But it’s going to require putting yourself “out there,” in every way you can imagine doing so.

So get inspired! Here are some effective ways to bring innovation into your business.

Look at Other Industries For Inspiration

A lot of the greatest inventions didn’t come from the industry the inventor was in… The inventor was actually inspired by other industries. For example, did you know that Henry Ford’s moving assembly line in the auto industry was actually inspired by the meat processing industry? Many people didn’t know that but Henry Ford’s innovative thought process to use inspiration from a different industry has forever changed the automotive industry.

Create an Innovative Work Environment

To create an innovative work environment can mean different things to different people. Most people think that to create an innovative work environment means to change the physical environment of an office, and that indeed is part of it but not solely how you can do it.

To create an innovative work environment, you can do these things:

• Implement visual stimulation all throughout the office
• Have snacks available
• Allow a professional, yet comfortable dress code
• Ensure comfortable seating
• Encourage breaks
• Plan inspirational excursions

Incorporate Green Practices

“Going green” is something that lots of businesses are starting to implement into their daily operations and your business can get some inspiration from other businesses and do the same. There are actually lots of ways to make your business more eco-friendly like going paperless, choosing green suppliers, and recycling.

A great aspect of incorporating green practices is that it can save you money and make you money. For example, you can switch energy providers to generate electricity from renewable resources instead of fossil fuels… this will save your business money on monthly energy costs.

To make money from going green, market your business and brand as a green company; You can also participate in environmentally-friendly projects and activities. By incorporating these practices at work, it will eventually rub off on your staff to implement these practices outside of work.

Get Ideas From Customers and Employees

What better way to bring fresh ideas to your business better than from your customers and employees. This is a great way to get perspective on what customers want and how your team can give them what they want. This will not only boost employee motivation but it will also boost morale.

With employees, a great way to do this would be to get everyone together and brainstorm different ideas. This shows them that their opinion matters and makes them feel like they’re truly part of the team. Plus, asking their ideas will come directly from working with customers, so their input is valuable.

With customers, engage with them on social media by responding to comments and post pictures and videos relevant to your brand and audience. Also, give your customers some incentive by running contests with product giveaways. Loyal customers will be excited about this but you want your contests to entice new customers as well so you have to entice existing and potential customers.

Talk to Other Professionals in Your Industry

This might seem like becoming “friends with the enemy,” somewhat but it’s not. It’s essentially finding a mentor you can look to and bounce ideas off of. This is especially important to do if you’re new to the industry. You’re going to need guidance from somewhere and sometimes the best place to get it is from someone who’s done it long before you did.

This is also a great way to build business relationships, which could potentially turn into partnerships. Remember, just because you’re in the same industry as a competitor, that doesn’t mean that they’re not willing to extend a helping hand to you. It also doesn’t mean that they will extend a helping hand, but you won’t know unless you put yourself out there.

You just never know where your next great idea will come from…