Page 74 - The Business Idea Factory: A World-Class System for Creating Successful Business Ideas

Write ideas down

When I studied at school, my math teacher kept repeating, “If you haven’t written down a solution for
the problem, you haven’t solved a problem.” Before I took this advice seriously, quite often I had to
say, “I solved this problem yesterday, but just forgot the solution.”

If there was just one tip I could give, that would help you the most in creating successful business
ideas, it would be this: “Always write down your ideas! Write each idea down as soon as it comes to
your head or they will go as quickly as they came. Write down the idea no matter when and where it
came.” Capturing ideas has several benefits:

Firstly, the ideas are saved and can be used later. For any successful business ideas creator, not
writing down an idea looks even more ridiculous than burning $100 bills with a lighter. Ideas are
treasures and should always be saved.

Seco ndly, wr iting do wn an idea sends a sig nal to yo ur subco nscio us mind, “Thank yo u ver y much
for generating this wonderful idea. I highly appreciate what you do for me. Please generate more
ideas.” If the subconscious mind feels appreciated, it will work harder and generate even more
wonderful ideas for you. Imagine that you say something to your friend, and he or she doesn’t listen.
Yo u r epeat a seco nd time but he o r she do esn’t car e abo ut what yo u say ag ain. Eventually yo u sto p
talking. The same happens with your right brain if you don’t appreciate ideas that it generates.

Finally, when yo u have many ideas o n paper yo u can easily switch between them. Each idea can be
modified or combined with other ideas to create new ideas. For example when Edison’s Ore Milling
Company proved to be financially unprofitable, he looked through his notebooks with ideas. Edison
figured out that his company had a very similar business model to one in the cement industry and
formed Edison Portland Cement in 1899.

Tho mas Ediso n, Benjamin Fr anklin, Leo nar do da Vinci, the Wr ig ht br o ther s, Vir g inia Wo o lf, Car l
Jung, Charles Darwin and thousands of other famous entrepreneurs, innovators, writers, scientists
and ar tists car r ied no tebo o ks and wr o te do wn all their ideas. This habit played an impo r tant r o le in
their success.

What to do if the idea caught you off guard?

Imagine that just before you fall asleep an amazing idea comes to your head. You might think, “I am
too tired to write down the idea. I will do it first thing in the morning.” Guess what, once you wake up
the idea will be gone and may never come to you again.

The best ideas often come when you least expect them: in a grocery store, while you exercise in the
gym or sleep. Although, writing down an idea often may seem terribly inconvenient, always write it
down no matter when and where it came. If you got an idea at 3 in the morning, wake up and write it
do wn. If yo u g o t an idea dur ing an impo r tant business meeting , take a pen and wr ite it do wn. If yo u
got an idea in a grocery store, find a way to write it down. This habit will have an enormous impact
on your success in business and life.

Yo u mig ht ask, “Andr ii, what if ther e is no way fo r me to wr ite do wn an idea? Fo r example, I am
driving a car or presenting in front of a large audience. Can I remember the idea to write it down