7 Types of Creativity: Business Creativity Explored

I think we can all agree that entrepreneurship isn't just about crunching numbers and following a rigid process. It's about being a bit of a dreamer, a thinker, and definitely a creator. In this article, we'll dive into how business creativity is at the core of building a business. We'll talk about the 7 types of creativity and how to apply them in a business context and how you can bring more creativity into your business journey.

Being Creative As An Entrepreneur is SO EASY... yeah... right

Let's face it, being an entrepreneur isn't a walk in the park. Sometimes, we get so caught up in finding solutions that we miss out on taking the time to approach things from a creative perspective. It doesn't help if you haven't quite figured out how creative you are, or if you even doubt you're creative at all. Negative thoughts like "I'm not really a creative person." can be a real downer for our ability to think creatively.

But fear not! Everyone is actually creative, just not in the ways that people consider to be traditionally creative. Recognizing that every person on Earth is creative is the first step to developing your creative potential. As a person who is creative in multiple areas, the work of the creativity researcher William Miller influenced my understanding of creativity and expanded the scope of what I considered to be creative. It helped me as I worked with clients to understand what creative strengths they bring into their businesses and how to develop their ideas further. Because, while the bulk of my work is focused on business modeling, the model is based on an idea and then built out, by further development of that idea. This article is based on insights from his work on creativity.

Why Business Creativity Matters

Business creativity is like the secret sauce of entrepreneurship. It's what sets you apart in a world full of great ideas. You need to be able to think differently, see possibilities and opportunities where others might see nothing, and come up with something that makes people go, "Wow, I need that!" As entrepreneurs we operate in an attention economy and the best way to stand out, is to be creative. Everyone has a creative side; we just need to nurture it. We'll talk about how you can do just that to make your entrepreneurial journey unique and successful.

The Process of Business Creativity

Firstly, let's address the elephant in the room... GENIUS... There's a misconception that you need to be a genius to be creative. But it's just that- a misconception. We all have creative abilities, we just need to figure out how to leverage them. Creativity is not about following a set pattern; it's about seeing things from a different angle. Your innate skills allow you to explore those different angles, but if you don't even know that those innate skills are creative skills, you may discount them. We are going to explore what the different types of creativity are and you can apply them to your own business.

7 Types of Creativity For Entrepreneurs

Creativity isn't just about painting or writing songs. (Phew! That's a relief if you're not running a business that involves singing or creating art!) There's a whole spectrum of creative abilities! We can be creative in how we organize things in business, in our relationships, and even in the events or experiences we create for our business. There's creativity in ideas, in materials for our business, and even within ourselves in a business context. Let's break down the 7 Types of Creativity :

Idea Creativity: This involves generating new ideas or concepts for your business, whether for a product, service, or problem-solving approach. Many entrepreneurs are great at coming up with ideas for innovative products and services. (If you are an avid ideator, who has notebooks FULL of ideas, of all the things you want to do, but alas you are a mere mortal with limited hours in a day- this is you- make time to work on some of them though.)
Material Creativity: This involves creating tangible objects for your business, such as products, advertisements, reports, or artwork. People who have this type of creativity outside of the workplace are people who love to make or build things with their hands. They can come up with ideas for something and then use materials available to them to physically create them. (If you are an avid DIYer, with tons of projects, some completed and some not, but you continue to dream of more things you can make with your hands- this is you - you should probably finish that one project you started... you know the one I'm talking about)
Organization Creativity: This involves innovating in organizing people, spaces, projects, or the structure of ventures in your business. These tend to be people who are great at keeping multiple details and projects on track and in the right place. A former coaching client had this skill and ran a business where she would go into people's homes and offices and create systems for organizing their spaces. (If your space, both personal and workspace is always organized and you know where everything is and why it is there and you're good at figuring out how to structure processes in a systematic manner- this is you - probably drives you mad that people around you are living in CHAOS)
Relationship Creativity: This involves being good at relating to different types of people, their cultures, personalities or perspectives. People with this form of creativity are great at creating innovative approaches to collaboration, cooperation, and constructive relationships with others in their business. (If you have a bunch of different friends that you would never put into the same room, because you know they wouldn't get along with each other, but get along just fine with you - This is you - You're practically a spy)
Event Creativity: This involves being able to craft memorable and effective events and experiences for your business, considering aspects like decor, participant involvement, sequence of events, and setting. These people can juggle multiple tasks and components of an event into a singular experience. (If you find yourself as the party planner in your friend group or family or even in your workplace, this is you- you must be so exhausted though...)
Inner Creativity: This involves having an innate understanding of the human condition of not only yourself but others as well. People who have this skill are great problem solvers in situations in which both personal and interpersonal issues arise, they tend to be people who you can go to for advice, mentorship, problem-solving, and in a business context, to understand the needs of customers. (If your friends and loved ones often come to you for advice for their problems and you can identify not only why they have the problem, how to fix it and why they are feeling the way they are about it, then this is you- the friend group shrink.)
Spontaneous Creativity: This involves being able to respond quickly and creatively in any situation not only in your business but in your personal life. People who have this ability to think on their feet are quick to come up with solutions to problems and react to events decisively, effectively, and without prior thought or planning. (If someone asked you to speak off the cuff at an event and you can easily go into a 10-minute speech unprepared- this is you - lucky devil)

There might be multiple types of creativity that resonated with you and that's ok, A LOT of people have multiple creative skills. The important thing is knowing that no one creative type is better than the other and you should focus on using your creative abilities and then figure out how to work with people who have creative skills that can provide additional value to your business.

How To Develop Your Creative Abilities

Once you have identified which creative skills you have, you also need to develop them, there are a number of things that you can do, and here are a few tips:

Be open to new ideas and experiences. The more you are exposed to new ideas and experiences, the more creative you will become.
Be willing to take risks. Creativity often involves taking risks and trying new things. Don't be afraid to fail. Failure is a natural part of the creative process.
Be persistent. Creative development takes time and effort, even if it is an innate skill, you still need to work on getting better at it. Don't give up if you don't come up with a brilliant idea right away. Keep working at it and you will eventually come up with something great.

Let's now look at some real-world examples of companies and how they use creativity successfully in their businesses:

Apple uses Idea Creativity

Disney uses Event Creativity

LEGO uses Material Creativity

Steve Jobs used Spontaneous Creativity

Creativity Is Always Ongoing

There is always room in your business for you to come up with creative ideas and concepts, as long as you're willing to take the time to develop them and invest the necessary resources into the idea. Some ideas will work out and some will not, but the important thing is to keep trying new things. Every business must innovate or die and creativity is what drives innovation.

While our S.P.A.R.K Framework for entrepreneurship development, focuses on creativity in the early stages of developing a business idea, business creativity continues to be a key part of the business model and pitch development process.

Beginner's Business Creativity Worksheet

To get you started on identifying which of the seven types of business creativity resonate with you and how to apply them in your business, we've designed a Beginner's Business Creativity Worksheet. You can edit it as a pdf, or print it out and fill it in by hand. Download the worksheet here and kickstart your business creativity process!

Share Your Thoughts

What types of creativity do you have and how do you use them in your business? Have you had a eureka moment that changed your business? Or maybe you're struggling to find that creative spark for your business. Let's chat and inspire each other!

For more entrepreneurial insights and tips, check out our previous articles:

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