How Not Enough Money Could Be All You Need to Succeed

It was a disaster. The production was scheduled to go in two days.  When I walked into the auditorium to check on the set design - I felt the panic rise in my throat.  It was a nightmare.  The artistic team who had assured me they "had it all under control" had done the best they could to design a set that went with our dramatic theme of overcoming the hardships of life - but the stage looked like someone's living room the morning after a big party - not an artistic representation of a battlefield. We had no time to start over, we had no budget to purchase anything, and we were expecting hundreds to come to the debut  in 48 hours. I collapsed into a seat in the front row of the gothic cathedral auditorium, put my head in my hands, took a deep breath, whispered a silent prayer of "HELP!" and did what years of experience had taught me to do: looked for a creative solution.

Too often we admit defeat because we "don't have enough money." We put our dreams in a straitjacket due to the limitations of a restricted budget, but we sell ourselves short if we allow our goals to be limited by a dollar sign.  Perhaps the issue is not a lack of money, but a lack of creativity.  Years of successfully leading non-profits with very limited budgets, have shown me that there is always a way around not having enough money, but it will require thinking outside the box, being flexible, and being willing to work up a sweat.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have a fantastic idea, but not enough money to carry it out; perhaps it is a blessing in disguise.  You may simply need to develop a more creative approach to bring it into reality.  Here are some of the steps in the process that may help you unlock a more creative solution.

1.  Start by looking at the resources you HAVE (not what you don't have).  Be creative with this - you may be overlooking some key resources.  Example:  We didn't have any budget for marketing/advertising.  Solution: I wrote an interesting newsworthy story to run as a press release in the local papers and put it out on Facebook where it spread like wildfire.

2.  Brainstorm how you can maximize/build on what you have.  Example: For the set design disaster I mentioned in my opening, I sent teenagers on a frantic scramble for what little props we had in our props closet.  They were carrying down a couple of Greek columns that had been made out of styrofoam/cardboard and accidentally broke one of them.  I put our artistic crew to work re-designing the stage with broken columns and fires made out of old metal trash cans, cheap fans, colored floodlights and toilet paper. 

3. Be flexible enough to reshape your goals to work creatively with what you have.  Example: I had scheduled a major Christmas presentation and had written a beautiful vocal choral piece into the script.  Three weeks out from the production date the choir director told me they couldn't pull off this piece which was essential to the story line and artistic content of the production.  I took the recorded vocal piece and choreographed a dance to it instead.  It ended up being one of the highlights of the production.

Creativity costs nothing.  A creative approach will set you apart from all the rest who may simply be throwing dollars at a problem.  What is it that you have written off because you don't have enough money?  Perhaps it's worth a second look, from a different perspective.  Maybe all that's needed is a little more creativity.

Oh, what happened to the theatrical disaster I mentioned at the start of this? With absolutely no budget, but a very creative and hardworking team, we pulled off an incredible inspirational production with a dramatic set and packed out the 900 seat auditorium with over 1,000 showing up for a standing room only crowd.

Tell me about a creative solution you have come up with - I'd love to hear about it!