The key to generating new business ideas lies in inputting new knowledge and perspectives!

Ideas are essential for successful new business development—we know that, yet ideas don't just spring to mind easily. So instead of waiting for inspiration, why not start by learning how to generate ideas?

Shimura Akihiro, who has been involved in numerous new business development projects at Dentsu Inc., shares methods for generating new business ideas. Drawing on his extensive experience, he introduces "tips for generating new business ideas," covering everything from analyzing why ideas don't come to how to broaden your thinking.

※This article is re-edited from a blog originally published on Do! Solutions.

 

Akihiro Shimura, General Manager , Dentsu Inc. Engaged in national projects/smart city production, advanced technology/system development, social design utilizing genome technology, space industry development, consulting for building business co-creation hubs, innovation management, and startup acceleration. Also promotes new business development centered on intellectual property and international standardization activities. Additionally, participates in international conferences on ICT, gives lectures, and holds numerous patents and publications. Member of the Genome Ethics Research Association. Recipient of numerous awards including the AMES Awards, Japan Marketing Grand Prize, and IWRIS Best Paper Award.

<Table of Contents>
▼Stuck on New Business Ideas? Here's Why...

▼Step Away from Past Successes and Explore Unfamiliar Fields

▼For Idea Generation, the Hottest Focus Now is "Bio" & "Genome"!

▼Turn Ideas into Business Using a Backcasting Approach

▼Gain New Knowledge and Perspectives for Unconstrained New Business Development

&nbsp;

Stuck on new business ideas? Here's why...

Many of you reading this article now are likely stuck in your new business idea generation process, seeking fresh hints or inspiration.

There are countless frameworks out there for organizing challenges and objectives to generate ideas. You try using them, but somehow, nothing clicks. You always end up with the same kinds of ideas... If you're struggling with this, I hope this article offers some helpful insights.

Maybe you're stuck in the same old patterns

There are various reasons why novel business ideas don't come to mind. Perhaps the very significance of why you need to launch a new venture hasn't truly sunk in. Or maybe you have a vague desire to "do something like this," but you can't translate that into concrete ideas. Another highly likely cause is that "the information and resources serving as material for idea generation haven't broken free from the extension of your past."

When inputs are the same, outputs become commoditized

I've been involved in numerous new business development projects throughout my career. These ranged from large-scale initiatives like cross-border ventures and space industry development to supporting startups with their business development. What I've strongly felt recently, based on these experiences, is the commoditization of methods for creating new businesses.

Companies rely on their accumulated resources, stay within familiar markets, and build new ventures around the digital technologies everyone is focusing on. If the materials for thinking remain unchanged, it's only natural that the ideas won't differ significantly from existing businesses or competitors' approaches.

Step away from past successes and peek into unfamiliar fields

Expand your thinking with new information inputs.

If the root cause of struggling to generate new ideas lies in the commoditization of thinking, the solution is simple: input new materials for ideas. Step away from your company's past successes and look toward fields that seem unrelated to you. You will inevitably encounter new discoveries. For example, try broadening your input areas using methods like these:

Method 1: Explore new business development cases in different industries

When considering a new venture, you probably start by researching competitors' moves. While this is certainly necessary, it may not easily lead to opening new markets. We recommend stepping outside the confines of your industry or country and keeping a broad eye on the latest, trending business initiatives. It's a simple concept, but just being mindful of this can reduce bias and significantly broaden your perspective.

Method 2: Actively leverage external resources

Modern social and environmental challenges are constantly evolving and growing more complex. To address them, we must change ourselves, and the old "do-it-yourself" approach is no longer sufficient. Collaborating with other companies, government agencies, and external experts not only broadens ideas and possibilities but is also highly effective for building future cooperative frameworks.

Method 3: Deliberately Look Beyond Digital Technology

With DX constantly being emphasized and AI advancing rapidly, digital technology is undeniably crucial. Most information input during recent new business development idea sessions also centers on the digitization of personal lives and society. However, if everyone uses the same digital technology and data as input for generating ideas, the output will inevitably become similar.

...But then, what other fields besides digital are there? You might be wondering. What I recommend is the "biosphere."

For idea generation, the hottest focus right now is "bio" & "genome"!

Digital technology alone can't keep pace with the world's evolution

Despite the biosphere comprising the vast majority of our world, it hasn't been extensively digitized until now, meaning it hasn't been widely utilized as a solution for business challenges either. I've specialized in the digital field since my student days, but as I confronted social and environmental issues, I grew increasingly concerned that "digital technology alone cannot solve the challenges of the future."

That's why, around 2016, I became interested in biotechnology and genome technology, traveling overseas to observe the cutting edge of the bio industry. Even back then, startups using genome and bio technologies were rapidly emerging abroad, and I sensed enormous potential.

The fascinating thing about genome and biotech is that even the most outlandish ideas can become reality.

Today, genome and biotechnology are advancing rapidly worldwide. You may have seen news about developments like allergy-free eggs or high-GABA tomatoes hitting the market. The novelty of genome and biotechnology lies in its ability to alter even seemingly unchangeable "properties" – not just improving taste, but enabling people to eat foods previously off-limits due to allergies, or efficiently enhancing the inherent power of ingredients.

What makes genome biotechnology even more fascinating is that its applications extend far beyond agriculture. Seriously researched ideas include "using artificial microbes to convert Mars' carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere into oxygen and nitrogen for human settlement" or "storing data within human DNA to pass it down to future generations."

The more you learn about genome biotechnology, the more your imagination expands: "Could we do this? Might that be possible too?" It's like a child wondering, "If I had superpowers, what would I do?" This is the greatest benefit of engaging with the genome field. It provides a powerful stimulus to break free from existing frameworks and expand your ideas and thinking.

Backcasting Approach: Turning Ideas into Business

️Envisioning the "future you want to create" is especially crucial for mid-to-long-term business development

Once you've input new information and stimulated your thinking, ideas will surely start bubbling up naturally. Especially when encountering fields with untapped potential like genomics and biotechnology, a positive conviction emerges: "The future we want to create is achievable!" Holding this image of the "future we want to create" is actually crucial when developing new businesses—especially over the medium to long term.

There are two approaches to business development: "forecasting," which progresses by predicting the future from the present, and "backcasting," which envisions the desired future and then works backward to determine what must be done now. Forecasting builds on existing information, emphasizing probability, making it suitable for launching new businesses with relatively short-term goals, say a few years ahead.

Backcasting, on the other hand, involves setting a long-term future goal and then working backward to determine what is required to achieve it. This reverse-engineering approach is indispensable when considering new ventures for a company's medium-to-long-term survival. In other words, for generating ideas for medium-to-long-term new business development, it is highly effective to input new information like genome and biotech, envision the "future you want to create," and then develop plans using backcasting.

The path to commercialization also becomes clear

Clearly envisioning the "future you want to create" makes it specific what needs to be done by when, making the path to commercialization clear. A common hurdle after idea generation is "I came up with an idea, but I don't know how to turn it into a business." Rather than blindly diving into idea generation, starting with the perspective of "what kind of future do I want to envision?" helps avoid ideas becoming isolated and unconnected.

Acquire new knowledge and perspectives to develop unconstrained new ventures

Outsourcing ideation is one approach

Generating new business ideas is never easy, but even a small input of new information can dramatically expand your creative potential. If gaining fresh perspectives internally is difficult, outsourcing to external resources is one approach. This not only provides new viewpoints but can also lead to reforming the development process itself.

At Dentsu Inc., I lead the development of solutions supporting new business ideation, such as "Genome Thinking," an ideation service utilizing genome thinking, and "Future Craft Process, " which visualizes the desired future and conceptualizes business through backcasting. If you're interested, please take a look at the link below.

Free eBook Available

Take New Business Development to the Next Level with "Genome Thinking"! "Genome Thinking"
Future Craft Process by Future Business Creation Lab: A program to visualize the future and create future businesses

&nbsp;