Are you currently running your own business? Have you reached a state where your client base is rather stable? After reaching a certain level of entrepreneurial success you might feel like you need some new input to get things moving faster. It's easy to get too focused on the daily routine tasks when things are stable.
If you feel that you are in that sort of situation you might want to apply a scientific business research method to realize new ways to improve your business. I'm claiming no credit for this method myself, but it's all a basic scientific approach. All you need to do is this:
1. Define a Research Question
This question might be related to customer preferences, work efficiency, or any other area that is relevant to your business. A viable research question for a café owner who is experiencing a insufficiency in the number of available seats during peak hours can for example be this: How can I shorten the average time a customer spends in the café after purchase?
2. Develop a Hypothesis
Use your current knowledge and experience to come up with an answer to your research question that seem to make sense. In the case of the café owner the hypothesis could be this: Replacing low chairs with high tables and stools would make customers leave more quickly as the action of getting up and leave becomes easier.
3. Collect Data
Don't go full scale until you have tested your hypothesis. The café owner could replace a couple of tables and chairs and collect data from there. If appropriate, video recordings could be made to gather unquestionable data on customer behavior.
4. Analyze the Results
Analyze and draw conclusions from the collected data. Did the customers at the high tables show a tendency to leave more quickly than the others? If they did, is there any other possible cause, or can the hypothesis be considered confirmed?
5. Take Action
If the answer to the above question was yes, it's time to take action and implement the now proven solution. By replacing all tables and chairs in the café the customer flow-through would increase and the business be more profitable. And it all started with just an idea!
To Keep in Mind
The above method is suitable when you are looking for new perspectives on specific areas of your business. However, try to understand how a change would affect not only the specific area you are looking at, but also how it would affect for example customer satisfaction and long-term results. Provided that you apply a holistic perspective, this can be a great method to repeat regularly to continuously improve your business.