Have you ever been drawn into a bar or nightclub due to a beautifully designed chalkboard outside or eye-catching photography in marketing materials?
Chances are those items were created by staff at the venue and not by someone professional that the owner paid.
Using employees to help your business is a sound financial move, but also leads to happier staff members and better retention, says Bryan Mattimore, co-founder and chief idea guy of The Growth Engine Company, Norwalk, Conn., and author of Idea Stormers-How to lead and inspire creative breakthroughs.
"When people have an opportunity to contribute, they have pride in it and they take that with them," he says.
"The turnover in this business is incredible.
This is how you build culture and loyalty; it makes them feel part of your family."
It also builds excitement too, he says, "and more ideas create more ideas so it creates more energy because it's fun.
Employees want to be part of something that's fun and is growing, even if some of the stuff you're trying doesn't work.
Ideas are so powerful for loyalty, fun, and for the bottom line."
But how can you tap into your employees' innate strengths and their skill sets to help your bar or nightclub flourish?
Make it easy for them to provide their ideas and let them know they're being heard, says Mattimore.
He suggests having a whiteboard that everyone can access.
In the center of it, write the idea you want input on, whether it's how to boost your social media followers or how to decorate your bar for July 4, in a circle in the center.
Leave a pen handy and ask your staff to write their ideas around the challenge in the center for a week or so.
"By the end of seven days you tend to have a lot of ideas; you can then pick a few and do them," Mattimore says.
"The cool thing is that it really builds-one idea sparks another idea which sparks another idea.
It's an incredibly simple and effective way to get feedback from employees."
If your employees are reluctant to participate, turn the idea process around, says Mattimore, and use the Worst Idea Technique.
Ask your staff for their worst ideas for a problem you're trying to solve, such as how to cut costs at the bar.
This works well, he says, because they can't fail by not providing a good idea.
Then, when you've gathered some terrible ideas, "use one very bad idea and turn it on its head to make it a good idea," he says.
(Your humble editor loves this idea. Let me know if you try it and how it goes.)