As we create new ideas and processes, it’s good to take a look over our shoulder.

How can our new idea impact our legacy products and processes?

Quick example:

Assume an ice cream shop designed a landing page as a tactic to increase sales. The page could feature a sign-up offer for the new idea for a cone-of-the-month club. People who sign-up receive one email a week about something fun going on at the shop. This is a simple idea to create new revenue. (If you own an ice cream shop, the idea is yours.)

Now let’s look over our shoulder at our core business system.

Look at the ice cream shop. Do we have signage about our new idea? (Probably not.)

Do we have a box at our counter to sign up for our newsletter? (Probably not.)

Do we offer a cone-of-the-month in the shop? Since it is a new idea, I suggest again, probably not. Ideas move us forward. Sometimes the ideas usher in new revenue streams. Sometimes an idea improves workflow. Often, ideas stimulate new thinking.

Keep moving forward. But make sure to leverage your current processes, sales and thinking with your daily bread.