You may have ideas all day long, and not be sure which ones are any good or not. Try the two tips below to see if they help you sort the good out from the rest.

Innovation Looks Elsewhere

People who take innovation to the max don’t even look at services similar to theirs to get new ideas. They look everywhere else instead. Steve Jobs just liked the ideas of computers and design. He took those concepts and combined them to invent a new type of computer. The stock prices for his company just breached $800 a share in the meantime. Cirque du Soleil is famous for taking the feel of a circus and integrating it with outside ideas and concepts. Their circus has very little to do with elephants, tightrope walkers and tent performances and much more to do with art. Even though this concept isn’t for everyone, Cirque de Soleil has been around for years, and they’re more popular than ever.

Successful Ideas Meet a Human Need

There are a couple of motivations that truly run deep in most of the human population – the drive for fun, popularity, comfort, companionship and nice things. An experience that appeals to any of those things will likely be most enjoyable for many people. That includes opening a fun restaurant that has an excellent, inspiring way of serving food. Even if the experience is expensive, many people believe paying for an experience instead of a thing is the only way to go. And if an experience is absolutely extraordinary – think the iPad 2 or a performance of Circque du Soleil – people will consider the expense worthwhile, and will pay just about anything. The truth is that things like the iPad satisfy more than one need. The iPad alone is a mini-secretary that almost fits in your pocket, but it can also be used for education, fun, and exciting activities.

There’s more to innovation than just thinking of something new. Looking outside your own industry for ideas and making sure your innovative idea taps into an unfulfilled desire are both great ways to turn your concept into a success.