No matter how long landscapers have been in business, whether just starting or having been around for more than a decade, they will know that running a landscaping business is not all sunshine and roses. If you will pardon the gardening pun. This means that a landscaping business, or any business, no matter what niche it is in or what size it is, will invariably encounter problems.
You will often find that the businesses that have overcome the most significant number of problems have proved to be the most persistent and secure. Not that we are suggesting you set about creating problems to solve, but there is a valuable lesson to be learned here. That lesson is that being able to solve problems gives a business owner a huge advantage over others who cannot.
Taking that stage further and making solving problems easier is the ability to use creativity. By that, we mean the so-called thinking outside of the box to answer problems that no one else would have thought of. At first, these often seem bizarre and unlikely to work, but they soon become the default solution when put into practice. Here are five steps to help you creatively solve problems.
Define Exactly What The Problem Is
You can only solve a problem within your landscaping business if you know the issue. In many cases, an employee or member of your team will bring a problem to your attention but only in the vaguest of terms, so it is up to you to get more specific and define the issue you must solve exactly.
Brainstorm A List Of Possible Solutions
This can be done by yourself, but for best results, we recommend you involve your team, especially those for whom the problem most directly affects. We encourage that nothing is edited or given too much critical thought at this stage; simply brain-dump every possible solution that comes to mind, no matter how offbeat it first appears.
Condense Your List Down To Those Solutions Which Are Viable
From brainstorming, we now apply rational thought and review each of the ideas listed individually. For each, you want to consider whether it is feasible and a potential genuine solution to the problem. If not, discard it, if yes, take it on to the next stage.
List All The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Each Solution
Now you have your shortlist of solutions, you can give them even more consideration and specifically determine the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Note this is not a numbers game in the sense that they must have more advantages than disadvantages, Whilst that is desirable, also be aware that the disadvantages of a solution might be minor compared to its advantages, which may be significant.
Select The Solution That Has The Fewest Downsides
You may have been expecting this to say, “Select the perfect solution”, but it does not for the simple fact that almost certainly none exists. In most scenarios, the solution to a problem will not be perfect and will most likely have some downsides. However, it will also have positives that outweigh them, and provide a viable solution to your problem.