A business idea is the foundation of every company: everything starts from it. Do you have a thought you have kept pushing away instead of carrying it out? Or have you already started making an idea real? Whatever stage of entrepreneurship you are at, it is good to review your business idea from time to time. Is it still the same as at the very beginning? Has it changed over time? Is it sustainable?
Ideas Month: what is that?!
Some of the biggest, most impressive things in today’s world, whether towering buildings or complex, shiny smartphones, began as an idea. Without ideas we would not have all the cool things we have now: products and services that improve our health, things that entertain us or keep us connected, solutions that ease the morning rush hour. All of it began as a flash of an idea in someone’s head and was developed into the products and services we own and use today.
International Ideas Month celebrates exactly the value of an idea, no matter how silly it may seem at first. If there is something you have been thinking about for a long time, an idea you have not dared to dream of turning into reality, now is the time to give it a push.
There are many reasons why (good) business ideas are often ignored. Whether the thought is at its very earliest stage or the next step needs taking, one obstacle is inevitably fear. Fear, the voice in our head offering excuses for not doing it (instead of carrying the idea out): “I am not ready yet”, “I can’t / don’t know how” and so on.
Marie Forleo puts it very aptly in her book Everything is Figureoutable.
So it is time to silence that little voice in your head that keeps you from moving forward, and take the steps that deep down you have wanted to take for a long time!
The history of International Ideas Month
When did you last have a good idea? In the shower? Or did you think of it first thing in the morning and later forget what it was? Did you let an idea develop in your head, then give up because you thought it would not work anyway?
We all have these occasional brainwaves, and sadly many of us let them stay just that. Think of all the ideas that could truly have made our lives better, but whose author never got to the doing. This month, do not let your ideas run away: put them on paper and tell your friends about them. Make real waves.
How to honour International Ideas Month
Since ideas do not come easily, do not let a single one slip away this month. Put a notebook next to your bed in case you wake up in the middle of the night with a fantastic idea; that way you can write it down at once and it will not be forgotten.
If your flashes of inspiration come in the shower or while stuck in the morning rush hour, promise yourself to write the idea down as soon as possible, in your phone or notebook. Maybe when you come back to it later, you will already have even more thoughts to refine your original idea!
If you already have a business idea and have started carrying it out, then while developing your company you will constantly get thoughts on how to improve one system or process or another. Write them all down! No matter how scary, silly or unrealistic the idea seems! No matter how small or big the thought! Later you will have time to review, prioritise and pick the most important ones.
Developing and executing the business idea
Once your ideas are written down, be it one or a few hundred, review them. Which ones stir the most emotion in you? Which would you like to carry out right away? (For a moment, forget every obstacle that might appear.) Rank them by importance.
Now take the ideas apart. Write the very first thought on a separate page, and under it add every fear and thought that comes with the idea. Everything that stops you from carrying it out.
Then start finding solutions. It may require stepping out of your comfort zone (yes, even at the level of generating ideas). Listen to your thoughts and be honest: if an objection immediately appears in your head about why not to do it, add it to the list of obstacles (they are just excuses)! If the reason for not carrying out the idea is that you do not know enough or lack the skill, ask yourself the next question: how could I find out? How could I learn? And find the answers. Google, talk to people, research, search; you will certainly find at least the next step that helps you move on.
All of this can stir mixed emotions. You may feel insecure and vulnerable. That is completely normal. But if you want to grow, develop and bring your ideas to life, you must step from the comfort zone into the growth zone.
And do not forget that people get used to everything. Once you have stayed in the growth zone long enough, you may soon discover it has become your new comfort zone. When bringing ideas to life, the most important thing is to act, so start with small steps:
- write your ideas down
- write down every excuse and fear holding you back
- find a solution for every obstacle
- start acting, now!
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