By Dr Dave Schalow, PhD, CLU, ChFC, CFA, CFP

Part-Time Business Success | August 13, 2026

Brainstorming can help you find a way through a business problem, but a long list of ideas isn't the finish line. You still need to choose an approach and put it into practice.

The process works best when you separate two jobs: generating possibilities and judging them.

FOUR RULES FOR GENERATING IDEAS

1. Hold back criticism during the idea-generation stage.
2. Allow unusual ideas. Don't reject something immediately because it sounds unfamiliar.
3. Aim for a large number of possibilities.
4. Combine and improve ideas as you go.

An idea that won't work on its own may still contain the beginning of something useful. Give yourself enough room to explore before deciding.

DEFINE THE PROBLEM FIRST

Write down the specific problem you are trying to solve. “Improve the business” is vague. “Find a practical way to reach our first ten local customers” is easier to work on.

List what you already know, what you are assuming, and what information is missing. Identify someone with relevant experience who may be able to help. A short conversation with a knowledgeable person can keep you from spending an afternoon solving the wrong problem.

Try brainstorming alone before bringing a group together. Then invite people who understand the problem or have a useful perspective. Let everyone contribute without turning the meeting into an argument over the first suggestion.

EVALUATE THE IDEAS AFTERWARD

Once you have a useful list, compare the options. A simple scoring method can help:

Effectiveness: 3 for very effective, 2 for probably effective, 1 for doubtful.

Ease of application: 3 for easy, 2 for moderately difficult, 1 for difficult.

Add the scores. Ideas with a five or six deserve closer attention. The scores are estimates, not proof, so check the assumptions behind them.

For a more important decision, add time and cost. Use the same three-point approach to compare how quickly you could act and how much the idea would require. Don't allow a cheap, easy option to win if it doesn't address the actual problem.

CREATE AN ACTION PLAN

For the idea you select, answer these questions:

• Who will do what?
• When will the work begin?
• What is the first specific action?
• What resources are needed?
• What are the next steps and their dates?
• What is the deadline?
• How will we judge the result?

For a part-time business, it may make sense to start with a small test. Learn from the result before committing more time or money.

TAKE ACTION

Good thinking should lead to useful action. Choose the next step, assign responsibility, and put a date on it. Then review what happened and improve the plan.

​The goal isn't to have the most ideas. It is to turn a promising idea into progress.