If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you are creative, and have no shortage of business ideas. And like a lot of entrepreneurs, you have so many ideas running around in your head, it’s hard to focus on starting just one of them.
None of those brilliant ideas is doing any good gathering dust in your brain while you’re spinning your wheels. It’s time to choose one, and make it happen. Here are some tips to help determine which idea to try first. Let’s get started!
Get the ideas out of your head and onto paper: First, do a “brain dump” and get the first few ideas that come to mind, and all thoughts/details around them onto paper. Your ideas may become more clear as you see them in written form. How complicated is an idea? How many “unknowns” does it involve? Will it take a lot of research? Will it require a big investment of money and time? Some thoughts that seemed brilliant in theory may not be as attractive to you once you see them in ink. Cross those off the list. Others may unfold more easily based on your knowledge and experience, and will be easier to implement now. Writing them down will help you determine which ideas those are.
Does an idea jive with your passion? The act of creating is often a labor of love, but if you love what you’re doing, you are more likely to stick with it and succeed. Which of your ideas make you feel happy and light and FUN? Those ideas should jump to the top of the list.
What’s the ROI? Upon fruition, will the idea make you money? If that’s important — and to most entrepreneurs it is – it should get priority. So, maybe you have a few ideas you’re passionate about, but only one has the potential to make money for you. Start with that one, and use the returns to fuel your other brilliant ideas.
Can you delegate it? Is there an idea that is viable, and potentially profitable, but doesn’t “drive” you? Perhaps it’s something that requires expertise outside your own? Instead of letting it languish at the bottom of your list, see if there is a way to delegate its implementation to someone else. You’re still putting the project in motion, but you won’t be lost in the details and can focus on what really inspires YOU.
Don’t get lost in the sea of idea overwhelm. Get your ideas on paper, discover what really “drives” you, and start something now!
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Donna Toothaker is CEO and founder of 1st VA the highly sought-after online marketing and consulting company. 1st VA specializes in providing online marketing support and services to entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who wish to effectively build or improve their online presence. Visit http://www.1stva.com to sign up for our valuable weekly ezine and receive a free special report, The Top 5 Essential Tasks for the Ultimate Online Promotion of Your Business.