Fruitful ideas

Trained as a mechanical draughtsman, Sedat Adiyaman founded his company think2make in 2013, opening a so-called coworking space with a freelancer colleague not far from Neuchâtel station. The idea: a space where people can inspire each other with ideas.

Bringing the innovation process to the customer

"We bring processes to the customer," explains Sedat Adiyaman. think2make works with the help of a four-stage innovation process. In concrete terms, the first step is to define the needs together with the customer. "Asking the right questions is often half the solution," explains Sedat Adiyaman. The goal is to gather the necessary information so that the exploration of new ideas can begin.

If the external conditions are right, ideas are developed in a second step with the help of various creativity techniques. According to Adiyaman, it is important that the workshops take place in an inspiring environment. "We deliberately seek out places outside the company with our clients. This change of air allows all five senses to be better activated." This promotes creativity, he says. And furthermore, lateral thinkers are also deliberately brought in. Think2make sometimes works with theatre artists who can bring a completely different perspective to corporate structures. "We aim for a mix of ambiance- stress," says Sedat Adiyaman. Idea development then proceeds in two phases: Firstly, the exploration phase, in which one simply dives into the topic, and secondly, the conception phase, where the aim is to transform the roughly conceived ideas into concepts.

The third step is to refine the ideas. This is usually done through visualization and prototyping. And the fourth step is to implement the idea with the highest potential. This is done with the development of a "road map" including a schedule according to the rules of agile project management.

Large network with "lateral thinkers

think2make has a network of over 200 people, including freelancers in a wide range of fields. These are called in as needed. If special skills are needed, think2make also recruits people who bring them with them. "Basically, we work with people we know and who know us," Sedat Adiyaman continues. And how does his company earn money? The fees that think2make charges are based on the amount of work involved on the one hand, and on the cost framework within which the client wishes to operate on the other. Sedat Adiyaman mentions the following sums: "We're talking about daily rates of around CHF 5,000, and larger projects can take on dimensions of CHF 20,000. "As a rule, 20 to 60 concepts come together in the workshops with the customers. The client can then decide whether to continue using think2make's support or to implement the idea on their own.

Need present

And what are Sedat Adiyaman's experiences now? Is there really a need for services like those offered by think2make? "I notice again and again that companies pay more attention to the cultural side internally.

Turning potential into value.

should. It's about creating values and communicating them. Although SMEs in particular often have this mindset, they often lack a view of the 'big picture'," he replies. And this is exactly where he wants to start with think2make: To help companies turn their potential into value - and to do so with know-how that is as diverse as possible. Sedat Adiyaman has already successfully completed a number of projects: He designed a marketing strategy with Zimmerli AG and redefined the company's mission and values with the Neuchâtel-based energy service provider Viteos SA.