Three years ago, I wrote about idea fight club – the simple, fun, true idea that consultants should start projects with an open mind, then systematically, democratically beat up on those same ideas, until the best one emerges victorious. Making ideas stronger with tough love. Ran across this IDEO video on “idea fitness”. Analogous concept (thank you very much), but takes it a bit further. Like it.
Ideas need to become tangible
Elemental, right? Until an idea actually takes form, well, it’s just talk.
- A good idea. . .
- An interesting opportunity . . .
- A nonsensical daydream . . .
Any seed of an idea looks (as legitimate as) any other seed. Yep, you need to plant it, give it water, give it sunlight, and place the pot outside. Until you expose your idea to the cold air of criticism and market forces, you don’t really know if you have something. It’s so obvious, it’s a bit embarrassing, and yet, 99%+ of ideas never make it past the coffee shop, the bar, or the mastermind group.
Seth Godin emphasizes that artists ship. They get their art out the door. Stop talking, start doing.
How can you start making your idea real?
- Prototype – Have you built a minimally viable product (MVP) for customers to touch, feel, experience? There is a reason IT vendors build demos for their Fortune 500 clients.
- Think – Have you done research and picked apart the competitive offerings? Is your confidence greater than your investors’ skepticism? Have you really thought enough on the problem?
- Segment – Who are the potential customer segments? What are the benefits for each group? Who are you targeting (and more importantly, who are you ignoring)? Remember STP.
- Write – Pitch decks are not enough. Are you blogging to drive awareness? If you were asked to write a 250 word article on your product, what would you say?
- Test – How are you getting feedback? Jim Collins calls it bullets & cannonballs.
Ideas need to be fit in order to survive
This is where IDEO’s concept is different (read: better) than mine. For me, this looked like the brainstorming madman phase of a discrete consulting project (scrabbling for the best hypotheses during the first week of the project). However, if you think of this as a product / service / business, the timeline naturally is more extended. Great ideas take time to germinate and grow; yes, it might be the best initial idea – but it also needs to get stronger over time. Fighter & Fitness.
IDEO is new to you?
IDEO is an iconic design firm which (most all) poet-oriented MBAs want to work for. If IDEO is a new name to you – stop – and watch this longish (22 min) video. Gives you a good sense of what the design process should / could look like. Do you see elements on idea fitness here?
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