One of my favorite expressions is a notion that has allowed many of my entrepreneurial visions to turn into real-live successes. It captures an obvious reality that too often, precludes progression and development. The expression reads, “A good idea not executed is simply that, a good idea.”
While ideas, notions and inclinations are a welcome and wonderful first step towards advancement, the ability to take the idea to the next level is what differentiates perceived dreamers from achievers.
To get your idea off the ground and in motion, there are three defining steps that must be taken.
Step 1—Identify Your Objectives.
Oftentimes when an idea originates, it comes to mind in its most abstract form. Your first step to make it come to life is to clarify its objectives. To do so, ask yourself key questions, that while basic, will serve as the foundation to building the idea. These questions should answer the ‘who, what, why, where, when and how,’ of the idea.
Step 2—Hold Yourself Accountable.
Occupied by the indispensable activities of your daily life—job, household responsibilities, family and friends—the priority-level of bringing a superfluous idea to life inevitably falls on the back-burner. To ensure you continue moving the idea forward, set hard deadlines for certain milestones in the creation process. Moreover, make key people in your life aware of these deadlines. This will help cultivate a support system that can hold you accountable to meeting these timeframes, as well.
Step 3—Partner with Idea-Champions.
One of the largest contributors to turning an idea into a reality is having the courage to do it. For that reason, partnering with key players who support your idea and will champion it on the back-end is a necessity. As a marketing agency, many start-up companies utilize our strategic prowess from start-to-finish, to help cultivate the idea. Up front our agency helps to establish key messages and target markets for the idea and eventually helps bring it to fruition through the creation of marketing materials. Ultimately the idea is introduced to the marketplace, oftentimes through a public relations campaign.
Utilizing this three-step approach will not only propel your idea forward, but it will advance your innovative-prowess by thinking strategically and most importantly, executing strategically.
Good luck with your ideas and hey—when you get to ‘Step 3,’ be sure to give me a call.
An excellent point. I would add that humitily and gracious (rather than gratuitous) self-promotion can be refreshing these days. What’s more, if we’re confident in the quality and value of our product/service, we have every reason and right to engage in some (tasteful) horn-tooting.This may require a fundamental shift to the way one was raised, but it’s absolutely vital to long-term success. Especially for the humble freelancer.Thanks for the reminder.