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I would probably venture a guess that coming up with a viable idea is the number one barrier that most people face when they want to go into business for themselves. It has been for me, and still is when I want to start something new. The truth is, it’s hard to come up with ideas, good ones that is.
Photo By A Sheep in Man’s Clothing
I wish there was a magic formula that I could share with you to come up with your next great idea, but unfortunately, there is no magic.
It takes work and awareness to generate good ideas, they don’t happen by accident.
Nothing drives me more crazy than people who are dismissive of their creativity. Everyone is inherently good at coming up with unique solutions to problems.
It’s one of the reasons we are the dominant species. We’ve had to solve some really hard problems to get to where we’re at.
Give Your Idea Some Credit
Unfortunately, the system does it’s best to suppress your natural creativity, it doesn’t serve much purpose in the workplace or the schoolyard. But trust me, it’s there. You never forget how to ride a bike, or walk, or swim, so it is for your idea gene.
When my friends tell me in casual conversation that they have an idea for a smart phone app or an online business, I encourage them to pursue it, probably to the point of being an annoying asshole.
But that’s just me, I want people to follow their creativity more and rely less on the rules they’ve been brainwashed to follow (the same rules that keep them stuck in a job they mostly hate).
Their number one objection is dismissal, they don’t think their idea is any good.
Related: Entrepreneurship Doesn’t Have To Be About The Next Big Thing
In other words, they’re certain their idea will fail miserably and they will be laughed off the planet (has never happened in the history of mankind), all before they give it a deserving try.
There’s a name for this sort of disease, that I’m going to dub, right now, the “Million Dollar Idea Syndrome.” I know Steve has written about this before, where people tend to get stuck coming up with good business ideas because they think they need to hit a home run on the first swing.
Related: Starting Your Own Business Does Not Have To Be Risky
They dismiss common, every day good ideas, because they’re not sexy enough, because they are not the next Google or Amazon or Facebook. Could this be you?
Good Business Ideas Evolve Over Time
Keep in mind that ideas are a dime a dozen. Everyone has them, all the time. They are floating around everywhere. They are a commodity. An idea only becomes valuable when you claim it, when you begin the hard work to make that idea come to life, when you paint it with your own brush, your personality, your style.
Even if no one cares about your idea or what you’ve created, it’s still valuable to you. I’ve built lots of things, written lots of stuff, including recording a bunch of songs, that nobody gave me praise, or money, for. I don’t care, they’re still mine.
Related: Business Ideas That Didn’t Pan Out For Us – Part 1
Out of those ideas, and really me taking action on the ideas I had, spawned new ideas and new directions. Sexy ideas don’t start off sexy, they slowly evolve into it over time.
I share a lot of ideas I have for businesses or creative pursuits with just about anyone who will listen. I don’t always have an overabundance of ideas, sometimes I have zero, but when I do, I have to let people know about them, no matter how stupid I think they are.
People ask me where I come up with this stuff, and there’s no answer. I don’t quite understand the question, because I almost always have an idea for something rattling around in my head. If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to answer, I would probably say that ideas come within the context of doing something and being aware of what you’re doing.
Ideas Are Derived From Experience
That’s too vague to be useful though. What it means is, ideas come from trying new things, meeting new people, visiting different places, going a different route to Starbucks, going to a different Starbucks entirely, trying a new hobby or sport, having dinner with your family and friends, interacting with other people who are running their own business, asking questions and listening to answers, reading interesting books and blogs, all while being aware of what’s going on.
This isn’t to say that inspiration is just going to jump out and smack you in the face. Moments of clarity like that are very rare. It’s only happened to me twice in my almost 40 years on this planet. Ideas will come though, if you’re looking for them.
Related: Starting A Business: Convincing Yourself To Take Action And The Key To Behavioral Change
This means you have to put down the iDistraction devices and pay attention. Write down every idea you think of, even if it’s ridiculous. I have a whole notebook in Evernote dedicated to ideas that are stupid, but could possibly, one day, turn into something.
In fact, that same notebook is filled with book ideas, business ideas, comedy ideas, blog ideas, and ideas for web apps.
For the record, you don’t have to be a savant, or a super creative type, or a latte sipping hippie, or an over achieving go getter to come up with great business ideas. You don’t have to be an ivy league graduate. I’m none of those things either, by the way.
All you need is a little awareness, a little adventure, and a handful of conversations each day to generate new ideas. Follow this simple formula and I guarantee you’ll be rolling in ideas in no time.
This article was written by A-ron, a regular contributor for MyWifeQuitHerJob.com
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Awesome post A-ron! I just wanted to add that “finding the right niche” is by far the most common topic that people are getting stuck on in my course. In fact, even the students who have an idea already are a little hesitant to pull the trigger because they are scared of the outcome. It’s all just a matter of getting past our fears and insecurities.
Wow, this is exactly the way I think. But many people look at me strange and with disbelief when I start talking about new ideas, normally thinking that I’m a dreamer ! Well yes, I am a dreamer, but I believe to follow the dream that God has given me to fulfill my call in life. Those people who normally look at me and judge me are normally those people closest to me though. But I have learned to wipe my feet at their scoffing and carry on walking in MY dream.
My problem is not generating ideas. I have plenty of ideas. Execution is my problem. I need a business partner who will push me and work with me to get over this hump. Any tips?
Hey Sarah,
I think you already found your solution. You should hang out with entrepreneurial types and that should eventually motivate you to take action. It’s kind of like my little boy. He used to refuse to sit quietly and eat at the dinner table but once he started going to school, he started eating like everyone else. Social pressure works! Use it to your advantage
Hi Sarah,
I have the same problem sometimes. Lots of ideas, but nothing really happening in terms of action. I think this is the paradox of choice, where too much choice leads to indecision. What I do, in this case, is take out my list of ideas, go through each one, and ask myself 3 questions:
Do I have the ability to execute this idea?
Do I WANT to? (i.e. is this something that interests me?)
Are people willing to pay me for this (if applicable)?
The last one’s harder to answer, but I have some posts coming up that touches on how to test the waters with your ideas without investing a lot of time and money, just to see if they’re viable.
I hope that helps
I find myself reading your blog quite often! Love your blog !Thanks a lot for sharing , it is really very helpful!
I have certainly been afflicted with “Million Dollar Idea Syndrome” more times than I can count. Some of my ideas were real million dollar ideas – for someone else though; not me. For instance, in 2004 or so, I had an idea that the music industry should sell or “lease” music on the internet, but keep the music in servers instead of doing file downloads. Customers could listen to their music on any internet-enabled device. Now Amazon and Apple are doing it.
Something like that isn’t really a business idea for regular people. I didn’t start having practical ideas that I could build and execute until I started to sell on eBay. The process of simply selling things, and going through the experience of weighing pros and cons of that type of business, while actively pursuing other types of business idea led to my first real business. It didn’t have anything to do with eBay. However, selling on eBay was my first experience in having a product, marketing it, and having to meet customer demands.
Thinking things like “There has to be a better way to make money” while packing 100 lb stereo speakers was a formative experience that focused my thinking.
Great information and very inspiring. This is very helpful since we’ve been brainstorming new ideas and directions for our online business.
Great post, A-ron! The idea generation has always been the easy part for me. I’m a writer, so I carry around a notebook everywhere I go. For work I have to write an 800-1000 word blog post every single day about some aspect of small business and try to link it to business signage whenever I can. Not always the most scintillating topic. But as long as I’m actively looking for ideas I get constant inspiration from my surroundings (and I was finally able to convince my boss that when I’m sitting at my desk staring into space, or pacing around the office, or playing with my little desk toys, I’m actually working!)
The Million Dollar Idea Syndrome is my biggest hurdle. It takes a lot of guts to jump out there and start something without knowing if you’ll be successful. For me to get over that, I finally just asked myself, “What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?” For my business idea that was, “Lose about $1,000 and some of my time. And then have to give my unsold product as Christmas gifts for the next 30 years.” In the big scheme of things, the worst case scenario isn’t too horrible. I’ll just have to get a lot more friends who drink espresso
I love your posts. Please keep sharing!
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