What Problem Can't Be Solved? (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – July 22, 2011)

OK, so let’s see. The debt ceiling is about to come crashing down on our heads. British newspapers apparently violate the meek and bribe anyone that tries to stop them. The NFL and its players continue to jump over billions to get to… well, millions. Yep. The world basically sucks. Right?

Uh… no.

I don’t think so, anyway. Because people like you don’t see problems. You see solutions. You get out in front of issues and create opportunities (and, thereby, create customers and profits). Good on you.

So what problem can’t be solved? The only one I know is the one where you stop trying. So don’t do that, OK?

Of course, these are trying times. And just in case this crazy world gets you a little down in the dumps, here are some thoughts on creative problem solving from folks who’ve been there:

• People getting out of college today face one of the toughest job markets ever. But take a look at Shaping Youth’s interview with “Coming of Age in a Crap Economy” author Liz Funk about the creativity she’s seeing among Gen Y kids who are coming of age, well… you get the idea. Inspiring stuff.
• We’re all inundated with information. Which leads GigaOM to ask whether social media interferes with creativity. Ta-Nahisi Coates says: “No.”. Guess which one I think is right.
• Of course, just waiting for inspiration to strike isn’t a great answer. If you’re looking for a plan to be creative, pick up a copy of Todd Henry’s The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice. An excellent book that shows how you can have a process for creating solutions. Wait, haven’t we heard about processes somewhere recently?

And, if those aren’t impressive enough, Salman Khan shows how he’s using videos to reinvent education. Inspiring. Creative. Awesome. Check it out:

Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.