ideas
169 posts
The Secret To Spreading Ideas
I recently had the opportunity to share an idea I care about thanks to the team at TEDx Perth. The talk went live online two days ago. I hope it helps you to spread the ideas that you care about. Image by Sally Jarvis at TEDxPerth
What Versus Why
My middle son left school this year and here’s the question everyone asks him. “What do you want to do?” I bet it’s a question you’ve been asked too at one time or another. My seventeen year old tells people he wants to study either architecture or design, and then that he’s off to Billund…
Confusing Price With Value
There’s a company here in Perth charging $70 an hour to weed gardens. Just weeding, and perhaps a light trim of garden shrubs. Nothing more. They don’t mow lawns (there are already thousands of guys doing that). They do the job that nobody else wants to take on. The job that plenty of time poor…
Anyone Could Have Done It
Anyone could have written that book. Had this idea. Made that project work. Pulled this off. The thing is they didn’t. That most people don’t. And you’re not just anyone. Image by Alexander Kesselaar.
Who Is It For?
They’ve put a beautiful Christmas tree in the foyer of our local leisure centre. It stands almost three metres tall, complete with the usual baubles and wrapped presents underneath. The tree would be perfect if it wasn’t for the temporary barrier that surrounds it on four sides, (you know the kind,
The Rocket Artist
We went to a new cafe by accident today. We were late and didn’t feel like queuing for a table at our regular place. Donny, they guy wearing the apron who came to clear the table recognised we were new and asked how we’d enjoyed the coffee. We struck up a conversation about where they…
Crafting Your Intention
I met a really passionate financial planner recently who was a bit stuck about how to craft a 30 second pitch to deliver to the people he met at networking events. The problem was that while he was agonising over finding the right words he lost the ability to communicate his intention. If you have…
What’s The Formula?
There was no formula for being commissioned by Starbucks to design the Red Christmas Cup, so Johanna Basford created one. There was no step-by-step guide to building a brand around ‘delivering wow through service’ before Zappos did it. And yet that’s what we want. The how to, the instructions, the r
The Fortune Cookie Principle™
Every idea, innovation, product and service has two elements. The cookie…. the commodity, the utility, the tangible, the facts, the logical benefit. The cookie is the thing you put in the shop window which has a fixed inherent value. Then there’s the fortune, the intangible part of the product or se
Tomorrow
Tomorrow there will be another social network to choose from. Tomorrow your competitors will be selling a similar app. Tomorrow there will be ten more books to buy at the bookstore. Tomorrow you’ll get to inbox zero. Tomorrow interest rates might come down. Tomorrow you’ll know for sure. Tomorrow th
The Elephant In The Room
John (not his real name) was discussing the features and benefits of a new product he’s bringing to market with me yesterday. He had a niggle, a way which his product worked that other products in the same category didn’t. An elephant in the room. He wondered if this might be a problem. What if…
No Strings
Alexx saw the sign outside the local gym and decided that there was no excuse. It was just a hundred metres from her front door and was advertising a six week membership for just $99. An opportunity not to be missed. As she signed up Alexx tried to overlook the quiet desperation of the owner.…
6 Questions Every Startup Should Ask
1. What problem are we solving? 2. What need are we fulfilling? 3. Who are we solving the problem for? 4. How are we least like the competition? 5. How do we tell that story? 6. Why this, why us and why now? What questions have you asked yourself? Image by dasmart.
The Shortcut
The secret to overnight success is that there is no such thing as an overnight success. Here’s the formula. DO GOOD WORK x TIME = OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED This is how a self-published Kansas mother of three became the number #1 Amazon Business Bestseller in a week when ‘online influencers’ backed by b
The Story Is Your Advantage
“Whoever tells the best story wins.” —Annette Simons This is the whole truth, and it scares all kinds of people, from creators to scientists, fledgling entrepreneurs to established brands. The best man doesn’t always win. It’s not enough to be bigger or better, and that frightens us because our unde
Practice The Art Of Making People Matter
Walk along any suburban street. Sit in any cafe. Listen to telephone conversations at the airport lounge. Here’s what you’ll find. Everyone is having the same conversation. The early morning gym junkies, the startup hub members, the mothers catching the train to work, the fathers in the book store a
Adapting Or Shaping
Are you adapting to the current environment, or shaping what’s to come? The most successful people, businesses and brands don’t jump on today’s bandwagon they design the future. How are you doing that? Image by Mark JP.
Give Them A Reason
Half of the products in your pantry now have a ‘like us on Facebook’ icon on the label. Why should you like a brand of mass produced honey on Facebook? Why does the brand manager think you should care? Marketing is about doing great work that gets noticed. It’s about giving people a reason to…
Make Your Idea Matter
Make Your Idea Matter is finally available to buy on Amazon. Thanks to the people who bought the book yesterday it bagged a Top 3 spot on the Amazon Bestsellers list overnight! It’s taken most of our Australian winter (or your summer), to simply get the book edited, formatted, designed and ready for
How To Start Something
1. Make a plan. A physical plan. Get the ideas out of your head and onto paper. 2. Create a deadline and stick to it. Add the action steps that take you from where you are now to where you want to be. 3. Share your goal, or don’t. Being accountable to someone other than…
