Strategy
1,155 posts
The Secret To Building Ideas That Fly
Every single successful idea is born from tapping into just one thing. It’s the secret to the success of entrepreneurs the world over, from Derek Sivers to Richard Branson, Seth Godin to Jack Canfield. You know what it is, but sometimes you get so caught up in creating momentum around your idea, tha
20 Things You Need To Do More Than Google Plus
Any occurrence requiring undivided attention will be accompanied by a compelling distraction ~ Robert Bloch There is a shiny new toy in the social networking sand box and you can’t wait to get stuck into it. It’s only natural to want a piece of the action, to see what the 10 million early adopters o
What’s Stopping You Making Your Idea Matter?
The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20 ~ Derek Sivers You’ve got lots of great ideas and more than a few stuffed Moleskines to prove it! An idea, even the most fantastic one, only begins to matter when you can take it from scribbles in your notebook to implementation. So what’s sto
How Not To Name A Startup Or Anything
A brand name is more than a word. It is the beginning of a conversation. ~ Lexicon Everyone can agree that there’s nothing really objectionable about calling your business ‘Bargain World’. It’s an innocuous name and most people won’t hate it. And that’s the problem. If you’re going to name your busi
Close The Gap Between Dreaming And Doing
Everyone wants to sit around and think up cool stuff. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to actually build something. The energy isn’t in the idea, it’s in the execution. ~ Seth Godin I think you’ll agree that sometimes we get stuck, even when we know we have a great idea. Sometimes it’s easier…
Acknowledging The Fear
“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” Marianne Williamson People are scared. Especially people with big ideas and vision, who are doing great work. They are scared of doing the wrong thing, of making a misstep. Scared of
People Want What They Never Asked For
Everybody’s obsessed with finding a niche when what they should be doing is expressing a worldview. ~ Amy Hoy Have you ever been to a chocolate cafe? There’s a new one in town and we went to see what all the fuss is about. I’m not talking about a big franchise operation here— I’m talking…
The iPhone Doesn’t Matter To Everyone
“Ideas that spread win.” Seth Godin Seth is one of my heros, he’s probably one of yours too. But I’ve been itching to qualify this quote for some time now. Here’s what I believe. Ideas that matter spread. If you want anything you conceive, launch, or care about to ‘win’ then you’ve got to make…
Ruby Slippers
Every single idea becomes what you can communicate. Dorothy’s ruby slippers were magical. They sparkled, they shone and everyone including the wicked witches with all her power coveted them without knowing exactly how they worked and why. Naturally you want to explain to everyone how to tap their he
Your Mission Statement …
Your mission statement… … is true. … tells people what you do. … is personal and relevant. … talks about what happens today. … looks at what change is achieved because you exist. … stems from real values and reflects what you stand for. … is easily understood by everyone who works for you.…
How Does Your Business Sound?
“To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.” Charles Baudelaire Have you ever thought about what makes a good brand name? Is your business name evocative or interesting, fun or maybe just a bit boring? Some of the best brand names evoke emotions and memories, eliciti
Take Your Time
The best business stories, the really good ones develop over time. They’re the stories that the media probably doesn’t notice. The ones that happen drip by drip, created by people who continue to show up and tell a great story with more passion every day. The best stories are told by people who care
Different Enough
“If you’re trying to please everyone, then you’re not going to make anything that is honestly yours in the long run.” Viggo Mortensen Every cafe tells the same story (or tries to anyway); ‘we serve the best coffee.’ Every non- profit tells us how our money will make an impact and every box of deterg
How To Make An Idea Worth Spreading
“The only people in the world who can change things are those who can sell ideas.” – Lois Wyse Your new product, the non-profit you want to get off the ground, a life changing coaching program or that innovative design are worth spreading not because you say so but because other people believe they
They’re Telling Your Story
“We have to realise that the days of controlling the message are absolutely over.” Wendy Clark Senior VP of Integrated Marketing Coca Cola. You work hard to create an impression of your brand or business. To make your idea spread. You tell the story with your packaging, website design, logo, product
What’s The Most Important Marketing Question In The World?
“The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.” George Eliot Head down to your nearest Borders bookstore (while there still is one) and you’ll find hundreds of titles that all aim to help you answer this question. If Borders had asked the very same question and acted upon the answer they p
What Worldview Are You Marketing To?
“No matter how brilliantly an idea is stated, we will not really be moved unless we have already half thought of it ourselves.” – Mignon McLaughlin Sometimes our ideas spread because their time has come. Maybe because we’ve worked out who we need to be talking to and what some of those people are re
Do You Sound Like You Are Amazing?
Does your brand story give people something to buy into, to care about and to engage with? I’m not talking empty hype you could create, I’m talking about how you frame the truth. Some of the worlds best loved tiny brands took off for two reasons. Firstly they had a great idea and secondly they…
Understanding How To Spread An Idea
“Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.” Nolan Bushnell So how do you begin to make an impact and spread an idea? 1. Create something that people want to talk about. 2. Give…
How Will I Know You?
The 1915 design brief for the original Coke bottle was simple. The criteria were that it must be recognisable in the dark and if it was broken. The result; a timeless, elegant solution which plays a huge part in creating a memorable brand story. Think about how you could apply criteria like these to
