Ever found yourself staring at a blank page, struggling to conjure up fresh, creative ideas? Brainstorming, while essential to the creative process, can often feel like an uphill battle, especially for small business owners and solopreneurs

The real challenge isn't just generating ideas—it's coming up with good ones that resonate with your audience and align with your brand. Whether you're planning a social media campaign, developing a new offer, or crafting blog content, effective brainstorming can make all the difference.

But here's the good news: brainstorming doesn't have to be a frustrating experience of writer's block and forced creativity. With the right approach and tools, you can transform your ideation sessions from chaotic to productive and totally actionable.

In this post, we'll explore practical strategies to elevate your creative brainstorming game. From harnessing your customer avatar to embracing creative constraints and leveraging AI without telling ChatGPT a million times about how you’re different from everybody else, you'll discover how to generate a wealth of ideas that are creative, on-brand, and strategically aligned with your business goals.

1. Start with Your Customer Avatar (Like, Seriously)

If you don’t know who you’re talking to, how can you REALLY serve them? (And we’re not talking about small talk—we mean a REALLY deep conversation to win their trust and eventually, their business.) Before you even start scribbling down ideas, get super duper clear on your customer avatar. Who are they? What keeps them up at night? What kind of content gets them to actually stop scrolling and pay attention?

Instead of thinking, 'What new thing can I create?' start by asking yourself, 'What existing problem can I solve?' Your customer avatars have pains, dreams, and deep, deep desires; dig into those, and the ideas will start flowing faster than you can jot them down. 

Need a jumpstart? Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What annoys my customer avatar?

• How can I simplify their daily tasks or challenges?

• What solution have they not found in the market yet?

• If they could wave a magic wand, what would they conjure up?

By asking the right questions, you'll uncover the golden ideas that hit home with your audience.

Still stuck? Doodle it out. Seriously. Sometimes the best way to brainstorm isn’t with words but with sketches, diagrams, or stick figure-level art (you don’t need to be an artist to brainstorm).

Nail this, and brainstorming gets a whole lot easier. You’re not just pulling random ideas out of thin air; you’re creating content that will resonate with real people. It’s like brainstorming with purpose. Trust us, it’s all sorts of magical.

2. Embrace the Power of Constraints (They’re Actually a GOOD Thing!)

You’d think having total freedom would help you be more creative, but let’s be honest — it doesn’t. The next time you’re stuck in a brainstorming rut, try giving yourself some limits. No, we’re not talking about locking yourself in a room with only a notepad and pen (although, hey, if sensory deprivation and hand cramps are your thing, who are we to judge?). 

I mean setting clear goals and boundaries for your brainstorming session.

Maybe it’s sticking to ideas that fit a specific theme, focusing on a certain type of promotion (like a Black Friday deal with clear revenue goals), or even limiting yourself to what can be done in a day. 

Still need more ways to add structure to your brainstorming? Here are a few to try:

1. Set a time limit—try to come up with as many ideas as possible in 30 minutes.

2. Focus on solving one specific pain point for your customer avatars.

3. Stick to a particular platform (e.g., only Instagram or email marketing).

4. Create ideas for a single demographic within your customer avatars.

5. Set a goal for creating content in one specific format (e.g., video or blogs).

6. Brainstorm around a single theme, like nostalgia or humor.

Constraints give you structure and focus, and sometimes that’s exactly what your creativity needs to flow. It’s nice to take a breather every now and then (but make sure you’re not missing deadlines please - read until the end and I’ll tell you how you can brainstorm at lightning speed and still have time to relax).

3. Phone a Friend

You don’t have to do it alone. Sometimes, the best ideas come from bouncing thoughts off of other people. Grab a coworker, friend, or even a random person at a coffee shop (ok, maybe don’t do that last one unless they look like Brad Pitt) and start talking through your ideas. There’s something about getting another perspective that can help spark something you hadn’t thought of before. Plus, having someone to challenge your ideas forces you to think through them more carefully. 

And if you're cooking up a new offer, running it past someone who isn't in your world is a great litmus test for "is it easily understandable". Because if they don't get it, you may have some work to do before it's ready to go out into the wild.

4. Don’t Overthink It - Keep It Playful 

Not every idea has to be the best idea of all time. Brainstorming is about quantity before quality, so throw every wacky, out-there, borderline cringe idea at the wall and see what sticks. Maybe you’re planning an influencer campaign involving pets, or you’re thinking of turning your customers into meme-worthy GIFs (because why not?). The point is, give yourself permission to be a little weird—sometimes your weirdest idea can turn into the best-performing campaign. 

Ever heard of the "Will it Blend?" series? Yeah, that.

Who says brainstorming has to be all serious and sales-y? Some of the best ideas come when you’re relaxed and having fun. So loosen up! Play a game of “What if?” or toss out the wildest ideas you can think of without judgment. Let yourself get silly—it might just lead to something amazing.

5. If You’re Still Stuck… Enter Brainstorm AI

Okay, so you’ve tried all of the above, and your brain’s still a giant fog of “blah” ideas. Don’t worry, there’s a backup plan and might we add- probably the best one of all (yes, we could have started with this one- but where’s the fun in that?). If you haven’t met heyLevi’s Brainstorm AI™ yet, you’re about to make a new best friend. This bad boy can churn out a list of ideas faster than you can say “brain fog” (seriously, this thing does not sleep - and knows everything about your brand, offers and ideal customer avatars even better than you do). 

With just a few clicks, Brainstorm AI™ spits out ideas tailored to your brand playbook and customer avatars (bye-bye generic content). Meaning, you get a treasure trove of ideas that are not only creative but are also aligned with your brand’s voice and tone- and resonate with your ideal customers’ love language.

All you need to do is tweak the ones you love, toss the ones you don’t, and drumroll please... your brainstorming session is done and dusted in record time. 

So whether you need ideas for a Black Friday/Cyber Monday promo, a webinar, or a new offer altogether, it’s got you covered. It automatically pulls in your brand playbook (aka, the magic that makes sure your content vibes with your brand’s ideal customers) and spits out tailored ideas for your customer avatar. 

Conclusion
Brainstorming doesn’t have to be an exercise in brain drain. By keeping your customer avatar in mind, setting some boundaries, collaborating, and being playful, you’ll be swimming in brilliant ideas in no time. But hey, if you’re still feeling stuck, no shame—just let heyLevi’s Brainstorm AI help you out. Because who doesn’t like a good mind reader? 

Want to see it in action? Check out this video where we used it to come up with Black Friday offers in seconds for an Instagram Coaching business.

Happy brainstorming!