So You’ve Got A Great Idea. Now What?

Isn’t it true that we have these flashes of innovative, money-making ideas but somehow they get lost in the shuffle? Barely legible notes to yourself in the middle of the night… That awesome device or app you desperately need but can’t seem to find anywhere… Your plan to get your business noticed by people who can propel you into the next tax bracket…

Do you even remember what those ideas were now?

Why is it that we tend to postpone our best plans? As time goes by, great ideas wane from our consciousness and are soon forgotten altogether. So let’s look a little deeper into how you can actualize those ideas to get the most from them instead of getting zip, zero, zilch.

Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” sums it up the approach we need. Let’s break down the Do It into four manageable steps: Think It, Evaluate It, Plan It, then Make It Happen.

Think It
As you drive, read, talk, listen and meet people, you absorb a lot of information. Consider everything you hear with this question in mind: Is this something I can use in my business? If yes, make a note. My personal tip is to create an email draft or digital notepad for your ideas. It’s quick and means I don’t have a bunch of scraps of paper hanging around.

Evaluate It
Designate a time each week as your “idea evaluation time.” Schedule it in your calendar. When you evaluate your ideas, review your notes and examine if the idea is A) good and doable now; B) good but the time is not right; or C) not the right direction for your business. Here’s an interactive flowchart or mindmap that can help you evaluate whether this idea is worth pursuing.

Plan It
If the idea falls into category C, cross it off your list. If it’s an A or B, calculate how much time you need to execute your idea by breaking down the project into timeframes for each phase. Then pull out your calendar, iPhone or Smartphone and schedule an appointment with yourself to make an action plan.

Make It Happen
Many people find this is the most challenging step because now is the time to execute your idea. Here’s my secret: I don’t ever think about whether I “feel” up to it. I sit down, eliminate my distractions, and then I do it. No fixing tea, coffee or a bite to eat. I don’t answer emails or my phone. I stay focused on the task at hand and I don’t get up from my desk until I’ve completed what I set out to do. When creating the initial action plan for your idea, I find it’s best to let the first draft sit before going back to make revisions, so schedule Round 2 within the next day or so. Once your action plan is as good as it’s going to be, schedule the steps and make your great idea happen one phase at a time.

If you find it hard to get from planning to doing, here is more of my advice for making your big idea a reality.

To move your business forward, you need to become the best and most effective executor of your ideas that you can be. It doesn’t matter if it is an event, a marketing campaign, or a cold calling initiative. Write it in the calendar and plan it out. Focus on one big idea at a time and think Nike.

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At her lowest point, Beate Chelette was $135,000 in debt, a single mother, and forced to leave her home. Only 18 months later, she sold her image licensing business to Bill Gates in a multimillion dollar deal. Chelette is a nationally known ‘gender decoder’ who has appeared in over 60 radio shows. She is a respected speaker, business and career coach and a consummate creative entrepreneur who continues to be an advocate and business builder for her entrepreneurial clients. 

Passionate about women’s issues Beate founded The Women’s Code, a unique guide to women leadership and personal and career success that offers a new code of conduct for today’s business, private, and digital worlds. Determined to build a community of women supporting each other, she took her life-changing formula documented it all in her book Happy Woman Happy World that Brian Tracy calls “an amazing handbook for every woman who wants health, happiness, love and success!”

Through her corporate initiative “Why Acting Like a Girl Is Good For Business” she helps companies with gender diversification training, and to develop and retain women.

If you’d like to book Beate as a speaker on The Women’s Code: Tools for a New Leadership Balance or Creative Entrepreneurship for your next event please connect with me to find out about our programs.