Ideas don't matter

five steps to a meaningful business

by Adeo Ressi

Passion Matters

• Who are you, really?– What do you keep coming back to in your life?– How do your friends describe you?– How do you see yourself?

• What are you passionate about?

• Assignment: Write your four paragraph story…

Big ideas are raised,not born.

Step 1: Start Small

• Find a “seed” for a big idea in something practical

• Look around you...– What annoys you?– What do you need?– Have you thought of something new?– Are you passionate about something?

Step 2: Launch a Project

• It's not an idea; it's “a project”– Get a notebook– Subscribe to related RSS feeds– Buy related magazines and books– Meet related people (LinkedIn, Events)

• Write everything down– No such thing as a bad thought or stupid questions– Date everything

Step 3: Quiet Time

• Find daily quiet time to reflect– In a car, on a plane, walking, hiking, etc.

• Ask yourself– Why are you interested in the project?– What else can the project be applied to?– Is your interest growing or shrinking?– Are you finding obstacles or reasons?– Is the idea evolving?

Step 4: Board of Friends

• Identify 3-5 Honest Friends– Different backgrounds– Commitment to honesty– No holds barred– No emotional responses

• Ask them about “the project”– Stick to your guns– Heed constructive criticism

Step 5: Think Big

• Seek out the big opportunity in the idea– Broader applications – massive adoption?– Significant repercussions – what happens if?– Important implications – universal appeal?

• Bigger is better– Think small and fail small– Think big and fail big

Big ideas are a journey,not a destination

One Idea Framework

Don't Love the Paper

• What do you want to do in 20 years?– Not a lifestyle, but a contribution– Not a job, but a mission– Not a company, but lifetime achievement

• Work backwards– What do you dream of being and doing daily?– How much money do you need to survive?

• “Make money and then give back” – NOT!

How do you Know?

• “The project” will infiltrate your thinking

• You will talk about “the project” often

• You will identify yourself with “the project”

• Time not spent on “the project” is time wasted

Learn to Kill

• …your ideas; loving them is easy

• Always have multiple “projects”• Listen to the naysayers

• Kill and move on– Don’t invest > 5 years– Save the heartache

Thank You!