Small Business Mind Mapping

One of my favorite business tools and strategies is mind mapping. Mind maps offer a great way to brainstorm and come up with new ideas. It can help your thoughts flow from one idea to another, to things you wouldn’t think of otherwise.

I use mind mapping when I write, but I also use Mind Mapping when I’m planning out a new website or marketing campaign. Many times we’re taught to go from point A to point B then to point C. We tend to think linear to get from here to there. But thoughts and ideas don’t always have to be linear. Sometimes you can start on point F, or D to look at things from a different perspective.

How do you create a mind map? There is mind mapping software available, but all you really need is a pencil or pen and a sheet of blank paper. Put your main idea, or whatever you’re looking to mind map in the center of the paper. It can be a new website, a new product, a new social networking strategy, or anything you want to expand on.

Then start working your way out, creating circles with ideas around your main idea. If you’re creating a mind map around a new product you may want to add something about packaging, promotion, name, etc. Sometimes you’ll find your mind maps get too large and you need to hone in a little more on one portion of the map. Make that portion your center then work out from there to get into finer details. Sometimes what you’ll end up with is a series of mind maps by the time your done.

Mind mapping can help you find connections between your ideas, and help you think about things you may not think of otherwise. It’s an excellent brainstorming tool, and it helps you think of all the possible solutions, or scenarios. It also lets you see how things are connected, and how changing one thing may affect something else.

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