Got an Idea? Draw it

I found a super simple practice that has helped me build my multimillion-dollar business.

- SEEMA BANSAL

Every entrepreneur has had some burst of creativity—the aha moment that set them on their path. But sustaining that creativity can often be the most challenging part of the process. We’re continuously bombarded with new information and demands that can cause good ideas to get lost in the rush of our everyday lives. That’s why I carry a sketchbook everywhere I go. It’s the key ingredient in a super simple practice that helps me develop new products, brands, and business strategies. No matter what industry they are in, I recommend this to other entrepreneurs as a tool to fuel their own creativity—and the best part is that drawing skills are not required.

I’ve never considered myself an illustrator by any means. In fact, I started sketching in an environment most would consider nonartistic: I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, working at my dad’s plumbing manufacturing plant. For years I watched him sketch the sinks and toilets he wanted his teams to make. It taught me at a very early age how even the most basic illustrations can bring big ideas to life. Drawing validates the idea. It makes it more real.