Category: Business (Page 1 of 2)

Want a Successful Startup? Here’s a Great idea!

By

On October 14, 2016

In Business, Productivity

Startup Ideas that work!

Start-up Ideas that work!

Ever wondered, what made Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk different from the hundreds and thousands of Start-up founders who failed while they went on to create their very own successful business empires?

The same analogy applies to a building with a weak foundation. It eventually crumbles to the ground. This happens because the weight of the entire building is too much for a poor base to withstand. The same concept applies to a start-up as well.

A strong foundation for a business is established by a great idea.An idea that will set you apart from your competitors, an idea that will add value to your customer’s needs. If a business lacks that great idea, it could be in a pickle when it comes to offering something new to their customers.

In India, about 90% of start-ups fail. Although there are several reasons that contribute to their downfall, the absence of an interesting, effective idea is the basic factor.
An idea is a basic concept that is going to hold your business together. Undoubtedly, it has to be innovative, refreshing and socially acceptable. It should speak to the target audience through mere communication. An idea can also be perceived as a solution to existing customer problems. Characteristically, an idea should be relatable and something that the customers feel is worth spending their money over. For example, let us take something as simple as chocolates. Start-ups can offer customization, online orders, innovative packaging, gifting options and more. But most of these might not work because these are already existing ideas and the services will not make heads turn towards the start-up. However, if an interesting proposition is offered to customers that no one else offers, then it could gain recognition and sales, thus establishing the importance of a great start-up idea.
How to arrive at the Big Idea?
To be able to come up with a service offering that is like no other, takes a lot of brainstorming sessions, research and hard work. In this case, your mind would be scattered and influenced by a lot of information. Organization of thoughts and facts is the first stepping stone towards getting yourself to the big idea. Mind maps can contribute to arriving at your start-up idea.

Here is how:
An idea is conceived in the mind of the entrepreneur which is further established via valid systems and processes. These systems are crucial to ensure timeliness and increased productivity. For the systems to be effective, the processes and various stages need to be listed methodically in a logical order. This is where mind maps can be a huge asset to your thinking.
You could have a large number of ideas to implement your thoughts. Mind maps can help you measure the practicality and profitability of every single idea. It can be visually documented and stored for future reference.
Once your idea is theoretically sound, mind maps can assist in bringing the concept into shape. Converting the idea into a successful business offering requires organization and rigorous planning. You can store your references as links, images, videos, audios and more which can later be presented to your team without any hassle or slide presentations.
A business does not run on its own. It requires meetings with various parties and stakeholders. Everything starting from scheduling your meeting to preparing a proposal, you can feed in the information into mind maps which will help you gain clarity in the scope of work and the tasks that lie ahead.
Finally, with any task completed comes evaluation. The review is crucial for a business and it is also a window into the future to understand strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Mind maps help you conduct PEST, SWOT analysis and more to gain a firm introspection of what you are offering and the possibilities of what you can offer.
An idea is the first step towards building an empire of your own.  To be able to run a business popular among your customers, it needs to be something you are passionate about yourself. It will inculcate the interest and motivation you need to start and sustain a  long-term commitment and responsibility. Your love for what you do will reflect on your products or services, believe it or not, that is the true recipe for success.

Mark Zuckerberg on How to Build the Future

Mind Maps: Key to Effective Project Management

By

On October 3, 2016

In Business, Productivity

Mind Maps- Key to Effective Project Management

Mind Maps- Key to Effective Project Management

The entire company was stunned. Their dream project, the most ambitious one, had failed. It had send shock-waves across the Industry. Their rivals had smelled blood and were closing in. The tech world was rife with speculations regarding the cause of failure. The company had lost its position, its clout and was on the verge of being acquired by another tech giant.

Its CEO, as bewildered as everyone else summed it up perfectly “We did not do anything wrong, but somehow we lost”. And just like that, the company was lost into oblivion. Yes, we are talking about Nokia, which in the early and mid-2000’s could do no wrong, and at its peak in 2007, owned 41% of the world market. So what was the root cause behind their fall from grace?

Lack of innovation, lack of vision and lack of foresightedness can all be considered as the reasons for its demise, but, if you go deep down into the depths of this case study, the entire caveat stemmed from one root cause- total mismanagement of the project. Had Nokia been a little more attentive towards project management, the collapse could have been avoided.

Now that we have established the need for project management, let us now come to the technology which is at the forefront of project management, ‘Mind Mapping’. Project Management has, for long, been considered a playground of the left brain centric. But cases like Nokia have made people realize that, as we move forward, only the synergy of right brain and left brain can survive in this ever changing world.

Mind Maps Filling the Gap

Here, enters the mind maps at just about the perfect time.  It has filled into this gap seamlessly by making use of visuals and easy to understand tree like structures to make the execution of the process more entertaining and engaging. It strives to align all the team members under a single umbrella, therefore aiding them in staying true to the ultimate goal. Disorientation from the goal is blasphemous for any employee, yet is the most common reason behind the failure of projects. Mind Mapping tries to tackle the Project failure problem by using the ‘CLICK’ Principle.

‘CL’ stands for curvelines. It is believed that our mind is more tuned to the use of curved lines than straight lines, and that is exactly what mind map follows.

‘I’ refers to images.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is the mantra followed here.

‘C’stands for colors. The moment mind maps introduce color in its scheme of things, retention power of the brain increases manifolds.

‘K’ stands for keywords. Important decisions necessitate full concentration and therefore, mind mapping considers it imperative that only the selected keywords of importance be highlighted and irrelevant words be ignored.

Application in Project Development

Experts believe that Mind maps must be used at different stages of project developments, for it serves different purposes at different stages. At project initiation stage, it helps in identifying all the stakeholders involved, their benefits, both collective and mutual and putting them on the map for all the stakeholders to see. During project execution stage, mind maps help project managers to decide which path needs to be taken at critical junctions. Since mind map is a flow diagram, therefore all the junctions usually have more than one path that can be traversed.

Take an Informed Decision

Mind maps allow managers to carefully weigh and calculate all the risks and then take an informed decision. Once a project is completed, its experiences, both positive and negative, must be used as a part of a learning curve for future projects. But, due to paucity of time, employees are usually unable to harvest the benefit from this experience. Mind maps help in capturing all the aspects of that particular project in a simple and easy to understand way, thus making its analysis easy.

Now, try and apply all this to the Nokia debacle. What you will realize is that, a company as big as Nokia, does not vanish overnight. Its decline has been a gradual process with wrong decisions at critical points, ignorance of its stakeholders and lack of introspection and learning playing equal parts. Mind Maps thus, came a tad too late for Nokia. Now, it is up to us to harness its full potential and raise the roof of the building.

 

Mind Mapping Software – Must Have for Effective Team Collaboration

By

On August 10, 2016

In Business, Productivity

Mind Mapping Software – Must Have for Effective Team Collaboration

Mind Mapping Software – Must Have for Effective Team Collaboration

Working together can be quite a task because people from different backgrounds, having diverse thought processes and ideologies put their heads together to work towards one objective. In this case, a helping hand can work wonders to make team collaboration meaningful. Besides being an effective tool for activities such as brainstorming, planning and execution of an idea, mind mapping is now being used by several organizations as it is adding value to working as a team. The real power of every idea and concept lies in its presentation. The representation of an idea aids in exploring, scrutinizing and probing into it in detail for building the idea further and executing it. In most cases, working as a team can get a little tricky; especially in the stages of planning. To promote a functional team, mind mapping software like Mind Vector can be used for its simplified convenient approach towards team collaboration.

Must Read: 7 Ways to improve your Business with Free Mind mapping Software

Using Mind Vector for team collaboration can have several benefits. The non-linear representation of ideas, concepts, and tasks, with a framework that is built around a central idea gives the mind the ability to understand the idea directly by the team members and the structure gives way for any team member to add value to the content without disrupting the flow of the process. The visual structure of a mind map is illustrated in a way that is similar to the functioning of the brain; making the comprehension of a concept simpler to anyone.

Mind maps make the whole process from the conception of an idea to its implementation a fun and interesting ride. It gives the brain an image to work on. This helps represent ideas with clarity. The graphical representation helps in distinguishing your ideas and thoughts based on priorities and paves way for the creative process to build on and move in the path of execution as a team. The ability to vividly differentiate the various stages of a process in terms of planning helps in delegating responsibilities to the team members and take the process forward efficiently. The process adds value to organizing and exploring a concept and makes the process more interesting and less complicated to work as a team.

Mind mapping software, available on the internet, makes the tool more accessible to everyone. The free online collaboration software for mind mapping gives its user the chance to try the application before using or buying them. Though mind mapping can be as simple as doodling on a piece of paper, when it comes to extensive planning and involvement of a team, the software is available to everyone involved in a network to access information and add information, through creative and cognitive thinking.

Also Read: Brainstorm and Mind Map online with Best Mind Mapping Software

Mind Vector will also give you two mind maps as soon as you register with your email address and the yearly subscription allows the user to create unlimited maps and nodes, gives access to cloud storage as well as lets you import maps from Dropbox and iCloud. Mind mapping, although simple and easy, adds a whimsical value and benefit to the process of ideating, conceptualizing and presenting a thought as a team.

Create an effective Digital Marketing Strategy with a Mind Map

By

On June 6, 2016

In Business, Productivity

Digital Marketing strategy

The dimensions of digital marketing are ever changing. There is only one motive for all digital marketers today; that is to engage more & more audiences for getting their campaign more effective. Every marketer follows the 3-5-7 rule of sales pitch to influence the audiences; which says one has 3 seconds to catch someone’s attention, 5 seconds to keep this engagement intact & even after 7 seconds if they are keen towards your message it indicates a successful campaign. We are well aware of the intricacies of human minds; it always captures visual information in a precise manner. There are no other better means to achieve perfect audience engagement than the use of concept mapping software in the world of digital marketing.  Let us discuss the various ways in which a free mind mapping tool can help the marketers.

  • Improve content marketing through visual learning: We know how the brain functions, let’s not divert ourselves in that discussion again; as marketers with the proper utilization of mind mapping software you can attract busy people who won’t read a long copy of brand or product message. Thus, they will be able to get the gist of the large chunks of data.

Must Read: Visual Thinking Evolution with the Best Mind Mapping Software

  • Versatile digital marketing support system: Mind maps have always benefitted in organizing corporate or team meetings. What if we could embed a mind map in the website or a blog? That would be a great info-graphic which can even be shared on image-content based social media platforms like Pinterest & Instagram. Therefore, your marketing messages will reach beyond your website in different spheres.
  • Develop a clear social media strategy: These days there are many social media websites; it becomes very difficult to keep track of each & every one of them. In this kind of situation, the free concept map maker will be very useful in maintaining a tab on them & updating the information on a regular basis.
  • Develop ideas for blogs: Every writer suffers from writer’s block at one point of time; with the online concept mapping tool the job of brainstorming for ideas to develop content becomes much easier. There is another added bonus with online mind maps; they can also be shared with colleagues or superiors at work for instant feedback relating to the project. The tasks became much simpler & easier with the usage of mind maps.
  • Create narrative info-graphic: Nowadays info-graphics are essential for digital marketing campaign ideations. It is indeed a time-consuming task to create an info-graphic though; one needs to find, analyze & extract data. These tasks do need a great deal of planning which can be achieved by a mind mapping tool.
  • Description of business models: If you are fond of creative thinking & take keen interest in coming up with something innovative every time you come up with a website, you can get full benefits of mind maps. Explain your business models in your website through the best mind mapping software that will be distinct in its own self.

Also Read: Brainstorm and Mind Map online with Best Mind Mapping Software

7 Ways to improve your Business with Free Mind mapping Software

By

On May 16, 2016

In Business, Productivity

7 Ways to mprove your Business with Free Mind mapping Software

7 Ways to improve your Business with Free Mind mapping Software

What is the first thing that strikes you when you talk about mind mapping? For most people, it is a flowchart of ideas, concepts or tasks inter-connected with a root topic. They work their own charm in presenting a critical subject in a simple format. Mind maps are commonplace in various domains  such as education, business, administration, marketing etc. In corporate sector mind mapping is used for presentations, meetings, human resource development plans, project planning and knowledge management. Mind mapping software has been regarded as an effective communication & brainstorming tool in this sector.  Here are the seven  ways to improve your business with the use of a  free mind mapping software.

Must Read: Top 10 Productivity uses of Free Mind Mapping Software

  1. Generating ideas: Instead of manually noting down ideas; the key concepts can be added to a mind map by concept map maker tool. This will allow one to be more creative instead of restricting it. The various mind map software are user-friendly providing them the option to add shapes, colors & images automatically enhancing their creativity. For businesses, it aids in goal setting, capturing & defining  ideas to improve services.
  2. Presentation: Mind map tools allow entrepreneurs to present action plans or ideas in an eye-catching manner. With the usage of keywords and images, mind maps inspire crisp, comprehensible and stirring presentation. The structures of these maps are proven to simplify information recall. Instead of presenting through software like MS-PowerPoint, Keynote, PowToon etc. best mind mapping tools can be a great alternative wherein one can add files, web pages, and .doc files.
  3. Formulating business plans: Free mind map is an effective means of planning business agendas, meetings & goals in a fresh way. The software enables users to split up topics and arrange them into various branches, thus automatically joining sub-topics as secondary branches. This establishes connections between related tasks. The entrepreneur can, therefore, stay focused & organized.
  4. Tackling difficult situations: Whenever a crisis arises; with the usage of 5W1H (who, what, when, where, why, how) method one can simplify them in mind maps. This stimulates creativity & inspires brain to analyze the matter in a functional way. In matters of business, the managers are bombarded with various adverse situations from time to time. Hence, the usage of mind mapping tools instead of panicking will provide instantaneous results.
  5. Enhancing teamwork: Mind mapping tools smoothen the functioning of various departments in an organization & promotes teamwork. The contributions of various individuals in teams can be added to suitable branches also explored further, or be suspended for later discussion. Collaboration is a key ingredient to run an organization; this can be now achieved via mind maps.
  6. Manage projects: In order to improve business, one needs to manage time, data & other resources. Mind mapping software ease project management in different ways such as assigning tasks, setting deadlines, schedule activities etc. They can be used to create a simple to-do list or a work breakdown structure to achieve higher productivity.
  7. Better interaction: Mind maps are ideal means of communication. They are logical illustrations of topics & sub-topics; they help highlight the relationship between key points which cannot be achieved by common discussion methods. So the individuals working in an organization can easily get the point without hassle.

Also Read: Enhance your Productivity with The Best Mind Mapping Software

Page 1 of 2

Next →

Categories

Archives

Legal | Copyright © i2e Consulting LLC 2023