An overview of the stage in creativity is given below:

1.    Germination of Idea. The germination stage is the sowing stage of the creative process. History reveals that most creative ideas can be traced to an individual’s interest in or curiosity about a specific problem or area of enquiry. For example, a vast majority of technological innovations have been made in response to the conditions in the marketplace. If entrepreneurs are unaware that there is potential demand for a new product or that there is dissatisfaction with already existing products, they are not likely to seek innovations.



2.    Preparation. Once a seed fo curiosity has taken the shape of a focused idea, the creative person will make a through search for appropriate answers. It is a problem that has to be solved, he would begin by seeking information about the problem and by looking at how others have tried to solve the same problem in the past. f it is an idea for a new product or service, there is need to carry out appropriate market research. While scientists will carry out laboratory experiments, designers will start engineering new product ideas and marketers will study consumer buying habits. An individual with an idea will thereafter think about it and concentrate his energies on rational extension of the idea and how this could be converted into a saleable product or service.
3.    Incubation. Creative people and people with vision often concentrate intensely on an idea, but, in most cases, they simply allow ideas time to grow without intentional effort. Most ideas evolve in the minds of people with sown and given substance through preparation is put on back-burner. This means that the subconscious mind is given enough time to assimilate information collected from diverse sources.

Incubation is the stage of mulling it over while the subconscious intellect controls the while creative process. This is, no doubt, a crucial aspect of creativity because when imaginative people consciously focus on a problem, they behave relationally in there search for systematic solution. In this context, one may refer to the art of synoptic which means a joining together of different and often ideas. This means that when a person has consciously worked to resolve a problem without success, allowing it to incubate in the subconscious mind will often lead to a viable solution.

4.    Illumination. Illumination occurs when a certain idea resurfaces as a realistic reaction. Most creative people normally pass through numerous cycles of preparation and incubation, searching for full meaning of the idea. When a cycle of creative behavior fails to result in a catalytic event, the cycle is repeated until the idea takes shape or disappears. This stage is most crucial for entrepreneurs because ideas by themselves carry little practical significance for business. Reaching the illumination stage separates people living in a world of illusion from creative people who find a way to create value.

5.    Verification. An idea illuminated in the mind of an individual still has little meaning until it is verified as realistic and useful. The significance of entrepreneurial effort lies in the fact that it is essential to translate an illuminated idea into a verified, realistic and useful application. in fact, verification refers to the development stage of refining knowledge into application. During this stage, many ideas will be rejected as they do not paper to be fruit-bearing or having practical relevance. It is often found that a good idea has already been developed or the eager entrepreneur finds that competitors already exist in the market. Inventors often face such a situation when they seek patent protection only to discover similar inventions already registered.

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