"In the age of global capital flows, only centers
of innovation will be able to permanently capture the interest of
investors," says the World Bank in its advice to nations. In today's
evolving global economy, companies disregard being innovative at their
peril. Apple Computer, for example, exists today because of
innovation--ironically, not its own initially. The fact is, Xerox passed on
innovative product ideas, like the computer mouse and graphical user
interfaces, and let Apple run with them. Could the United States follow in
Xerox's path by allowing other nations to develop the creative ideas of the
future?
And that's where creativity consultants come in. They help individuals
develop the thinking skills necessary to be effective, competitive and
relevant in the current economy. They help organizations define problems,
recognize opportunities, and develop new products and services by finding
out-of-the-box solutions to produce innovation. Like never before, companies
are recognizing that innovative thinking is a requirement for success in the
emerging world economy.
While some use the term creativity consultant to describe specific
services such as copywriting, presentation development and design work that
ranges from information to interiors and products, creativity consultants
often provide a combination of project consulting and training to client
companies and organizations.
Project consulting involves facilitating task groups organized to address
a particular problem or opportunity a company would like to focus on.
Training involves presenting workshops to develop creativity in the
participating employees. (Some creativity consultants choose to offer public
workshops, but in addition to presenting a stimulating workshop experience,
this presents the additional challenge of filling workshops and providing
suitable facilities.)
One big area of interest for companies using creativity consultants is
with their marketing tasks, such as choosing effective product names and
slogans. Synectics Inc., a creativity consulting firm in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, helps clients with their marketing efforts as well as assists
them with the development of new products and services. And while Synectics
serves the Coca Cola's and Nestles of the world, most new creativity
consultants begin serving smaller companies and non-profit organizations. In
fact, volunteering your services is a good way for a beginning consultant to
develop a track record.
Some creativity consultants coach individuals; however, a search of the
International Coach Federation's database shows that coaches who list
creativity as a specialty do so as an aspect of a more broadly defined
coaching practice.
Startup costs are comparable to those of other consultants with the
primary expenses being for marketing costs and the ability to pay living
expenses until your practice yields a full-time income. You might want
to consider reading the following books:
Paul and Sarah Edwards are homebased business experts and consult and
coach on the subjects of the 16 books they've written. Their latest book is
The
Best Home Businesses for People 50+. Free portions of their books are
available at www.workingfromhome.com.
