Listening to Your Idea

Is there an idea brewing in your head? How long has it been there? Are you wondering what to do next?

For most of my adult life, I have worked with ideas. I love them. Whether as a TV producer or a programming executive, I have had the honor of carrying seeds to fruition. Some of them are blessed and come into the world with ease. Others don’t.

Some concepts never get off the ground, destined to spend eternity as a proposal. Others stall in the middle. Still others stop inches before the finish line. Where are you on this continuum?

When taking an idea from concept – air – to the marketplace – earth – there are many steps along the way. And there is no roadmap. But there are ways to harness the fire, swim through the water, focus the air, and cultivate the earth along the way to improve the likelihood that your idea will go from an electrical impulse in your brain to an actual product in the marketplace.

The first step always involves getting the idea out of your head and into a form that you can share with others, like a proposal. People often stall here, unsure exactly what the format should be. Don’t worry about the format! Just describe your idea and why you’re passionate about it. It can be one sentence. Then put it where you will see it everyday. Ideas will not call you up and set up a time to meet and flesh itself out. You have to be proactive. After you’ve articulated your idea, then what?

When you’re stuck, I have found it very valuable to listen.

Writing as if you are the idea is an interesting way to tune in. No matter how much you love your idea, it doesn’t mean you’re connected to it. This may mirror how you love in general. Letting go of one’s own agenda is an important first step. Writing with your non-dominant hand also is a way to explore. Begin with a simple statement affirming your idea, like “I am a children’s book about horses.” Then, see what happens next.

You can also ask your idea questions like, “What’s blocking you?” or “What needs to happen next to bring you into the marketplace” or “What other resources do you need to move forward?” Let the words flow on paper or into a tape recorder to discover some new answers.

As you do this, can you have no ambition? This may sound crazy because you probably want to make money from your idea. But put that aside for a moment so that you can see your idea clearly and be with its energy. This way, your idea can use you the way a fetus uses the resources of the mother to grow and be born.

You may be wondering how this will help you develop a business plan if that’s your next step. Well, the goal here is to get outside of your normal range of thinking and mine some new insights, especially if you are at a loss as to what to do next. Once this is done, new possibilities for action should reveal themselves to you. Concurrently, you still need to address issues like the competition, your market, and distribution possibilities, for example. But my intention is that these exercises give you a fresh way to look at how you relate to your idea. Then, you can address these types of business issues from a more solid place.

Good luck!

Susie Arnett

Idea Coach

What is Important?

I recently read an old FORTUNE magazine article about Paul Allen and his NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers. According to the article, he took one of the best brands in the NBA and nearly destroyed it. How does a smart man do something like this? It’s the same mechanism that takes us all down – strategy that makes sense on paper but doesn’t make sense in the real world. It usually comes down to this - thinking something’s important when it’s not.

What is truly important for success?

As an Idea Coach, I assist people in moving their ideas forward and to create successful outcomes – a published book, an effective marketing campaign, a new tv show – it is crucial to connect with what are the important areas to focus on and give your resources to.

Although there’s a lot of complexity to Allen’s story, I’m going to focus here on his team building strategy and how that hurt him.

His original strategy was to buy names for lots of money without any thought about how these people would play basketball together, or their character.

Allen became one of the biggest payroll spenders in the NBA despite the fact that Portland was the 8^th smallest market. “The philosophy was talent at all costs,” says Allen.

Unfortunately, these big names were mostly over the hill and on their way down and many were involved in criminal activity. As a result fans and sponsors turned off. A big sponsor said, ”The team reached a place where it just didn’t represent our values.”

With ticket sales dismally low, Allen considered selling the team.

But he loved the game and changed his mind, rethinking his strategy instead. He got back into the game of basketball. He cut the payroll, letting go of the idea of buying a championship. He focused on building a team of young players through the draft, a strategy that made sense for a small market like Portland. He focused on the character of the players. Allen spent money on marketing, bringing in a Nike executive to rebuild the brand.

Now, the Trail Blazers are worth 21% more than they used to be and are expected to sell our every home game this year. They have 20 new sponsors and the city is behind its team again.

How does this apply to your idea? What filter can you use to test your strategies to give you a better chance of succeeding?

I versus THOU

Whenever you’re developing an idea, no matter what type of idea it is, one’s ego competes with one’s soul with each decision. In writing this article, I sit with my motivations. Am I trying to prove to you that I’m smart? Do I truly want to help you with your idea? I imagine you sitting at your computer reading this, looking for something that could be useful. I know you’re curious, I assume you have an idea you’d like to bring to market. What is going to help you? I ask the article…tell me what needs to be communicated.

There is this thing that happens when you have an idea. You think it’s yours. (You may not be guilty of this but many are.) Like a parent, you think you know best but you’re making something for someone else. All creators walk a fine line of being connected to your truth about what you think is right and also being flexible enough to the universe’s feedback to make relevant changes.

I read recently that websites are about customers, not about products and it brings up a concept that’s very different in Japan than America. In Japan, it’s the speaker’s responsibility to be understood. In America, though, it’s often the listener’s responsibility to figure out what’s being said.

Who are you focusing on? In the words of Martin Buber, “Through the thou, a person becomes I” and although that may seem esoteric in this context, it is through a deep relationship with our customer that our ideas truly come to life. With authenticity and humanity built in, we fall in love.

“When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.” Buber

And when an idea truly connects with its customer, it is because we as creators are connected as well.

To your success!

Susie Arnett

Idea Coach

Falling in Love with your Idea

Have an idea? Not sure what to do next?

I’m sure it’s happened to you… you are in the shower and you’re struck as if by lightning with an amazing idea. You’re sure it’s the best idea you’ve ever had. You love it. You may even covet it, afraid to share it with others, like a jealous lover, so nobody will steal it… But now what?

Far too often, this is where things come to a grinding stop. Like an infatuation, it’s as if you’re always just staring at it across the room but never getting to touch it, taste it, feel it.

But what if this time it’s different and you really do want to create something? Then what do you do? As an Idea Coach, I assist people in developing their ideas. What I’ve learned is that you and your idea are in a relationship and evolving it requires connecting at the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels.

Let’s begin with the physical aspect, since so many relationships start there.

You love your idea, right? You’re passionate about it. First base in this case is to write it down. Some people never take this step, too afraid of making a mistake, doing it wrong. Performance anxiety crops up. But like a first kiss, there is no right or wrong. You have to just take the plunge. I prefer pencil and big paper instead of typing because computers tend to make things too mental and this is the time to feel into it.

Use your senses. Feel the pencil scratching across the paper. Get colored markers and draw a picture of your idea, even if it’s a book. Create an image of this thought that has taken hold in your mind. What would your idea smell like, what is it’s texture? Add all this to your image.

The emotional aspect is really the engine of this process. It’s the love and passion that gets you through the weeks when the publisher or venture capitalist turns you down. Remember how you felt when you first had the idea, close your eyes, and fill your body with that feeling for a minimum of 5 minutes.

Then, there’s the mental aspect. This is the stage of due diligence where you do your market research, analyze the competition to confirm that this idea really is worth your 100% commitment. Answer basic questions like how is my idea unique or who is my customer.

The spiritual aspect is my favorite. Think about this as tantric idea development where you connect, commune, become one with your idea. Really listen to your idea instead of spending the evening blathering on about your childhood.

Depending on your taste, there are many ways to do this. My goal is always to access the “field” of the idea, to see how it can inform me of what it wants and needs to move forward. Since we are simply the vehicles our ideas use to come into being, we need to listen. Write your idea on a piece of paper and sit on it. Then, wait patiently for its voice to speak to you. It may sound odd but I have been amazed at the insights that come through in this process.

Taking something from an electrical impulse in your brain to a product on a shelf requires action, clear thinking, courage, and connection. With these thoughts in mind, you will be able to move forward, one sense at a time, one level at a time, until you’ve moved in together, signed a legal contract, and begun spawning sequels, product extensions, and ancillary merchandising.

To your success!

Susie Arnett

Idea Coach