The most influential businesses in the world today all started with something quite simple. An idea. Anyone can have a great idea, so don’t think for a moment that just because you didn’t go to Harvard, or your parents weren’t rich, that you can’t have great ideas, and then capitalize on them. After all, that is precisely what sparked the industrial revolution! Unfortunately, we’ve allowed the idea of big business to sweep away the kind of awe-inspiring inventiveness that defined our society in the 19th century and early 20th century, replacing small businesses and entrepreneurs with big corporate conglomerates where there is little, if any, real ability for employees to stretch their wings and soar. Everything we do, day in and day out, all boils down to money, more money for the company, and greater ability for the company to make money in the future. Today, cash is the lowest common denominator, rather than the pursuit of betterment.
So, what’s your idea? Do you know how to put it into action? Most likely not, and really that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just about everyone’s in the same boat these days. You might have read a few pep talks from some motivational speaker, and may even have paid them to go to one of their “success” retreats. In the end, though, you probably just head back to your normal, semi-comfortable routine, which, as we all know, gets us precisely nowhere. What’s to be done , then? Well, you have to put aside some time to really give some thought to your idea. Ask yourself the tough questions about it. Is it feasible? Is it affordable given your current life situation? You can’t, after all, start a Fortune 500 company on a wish and your good looks. Be realistic!
Your first tip for this article? Don’t tell your current employer. Unfortunately, when it comes to ideas, they’re all pretty greedy. Need some proof of that? Try reading through the fine print of your employee manual some time. Chances are there’s a paragraph somewhere that outlines what intellectual property the company owns while you’re at work. Did you sketch out an idea for a great new money-saving device while you were answering the phone one day? The company might just have recourse against you, even if you should get a patent for that device. Basically, it boils down to your creating something while they were paying you. Not pretty. Do all the work on your idea when you’re not working for someone else, and you’ll avoid the ugly disputes over money in the future should your idea end up making you millions.
Let’s say that your idea is more reasonable, though. Let’s say you have always wanted to open up a bakery, but you just don’t know how to get going. Maybe you’ve got some great recipes that everyone raves about, but the idea of quitting your job to open a bakery is just too much to swallow. You might be putting the cart before the horse. Starting small might just be the perfect way to go. After all, you don’t necessarily have to jump right in to a full-on, loaves of bread in the grocery store type of business- many successful enterprises these days start out making artisan products on a very small scale, and while they don’t necessarily make enough cash to buy that Ferrari they’ve always wanted, They also tend to make a good, comfortable living as well! Let’s continue talking about this “bakery,” and assume that you get the point about starting small. Check back in a few days to follow us through the rest of this baker’s dream, and see if it doesn’t mesh up to what you think you can do, as well!
