One of the most important keys to the success of your idea is focus. Stay on track. It is so easy to stray off course. My favorite way to do this is to make a "mini" business plan together for the idea. I start with a a mission statement on the idea. This is a paragraph at most. I continue with how I am going to make it, who is the idea targeted to and where can I sell it. What can the idea sell for and assuming it's value will support that price, I calculate as many costs as I can forecast and determine if my idea has a possibility of being profitable. If after this exercise I can determine the probability of success, I am ready to start.

Once you start, you continually update your plan however it is critical that every decision you make is based on your plan. This will keep you moving forward and keep you focused on the goal.

Listen

Spent an afternoon last week with a friend at his company. Two of his customer service reps were concerned about the number of calls they were receiving on a particular product. He felt that his customer service people were making a big deal out of nothing. After a lengthly discussion, I decided to talk to the reps without him there. It turns out that the complaint was minor however it was easily remedied and it would save them an enormous amount of time on the phone. They were upset that the owner discounted their comments as nothing.

It was a simple fix. At lunch I mentioned that if he really listened to what they were saying rather than having his mindset on believing they were slacking off, maybe they could come up with a solution. I said if his reps didn't care at all, they wouldn't bother to bring it up. They are on the telephone anyway. Why not spend the time increasing business rather than trying to find a band-aid approach to keeping current business.

People need to be heard. Maybe their ideas aren't always relevant but they will continue to feel important if you at least give them the attention they deserve.

Ask for help!

Just got off the telephone with a woman I have mentioned previously. She has been doing a marvelous job with her idea. In fact, she just received her first big purchase order and was all excited. I was excited for her as I know how hard she has worked for this. She was in the middle of getting her first production run of cartons printed and there were problems. Not being experienced with this, she felt she was being taken advantage of (and I believe she was). We can't all be good at everything. I quickly explained how to remedy the situation. I have been through exactly what she is going through now and all she had to do was ask.

She, like many, feel bad that she was "bothering" me and didn't want to be a burden. I was happy to help. I would have been more happy to help her from the beginning because it could have saved her lots of time and money. I am also happy to share my contacts with her of people I have depended on over the years.

I doubt she will call before her next dilemma but I wish she would. Nothing feels better than knowing that you helped someone else succeed because if you helped them it means you have succeeded too!

Next time ask. It will save you time, money and lots of headaches!

Stay Positive

A new week with new challenges. No time to rest. Relaxation is for when you are at home or on vacation. When you are working on your idea, you must always be moving forward. Even if you believe you must wait until you have the solution to a particular issue, you can always do something that will help you move forward once you have solved that issue. You are always going to have challenges and stumbling blocks. How you stay positive and move forward will help you make sure your idea is a success.

Pay attention

I received a phone call today from a woman with an idea she believes is revolutionary. It may be, however she is making a fundamental mistake.

In her quest to try and get me involved, she has forgotten that there must be something in her idea for me to get interested. Just preaching to me about how terrific her idea is doesn't do it.

It is the same with a buyer and ultimately the customer. She hasn't refined her story. If her story requires her to tell it, this idea is not an idea that has potential. You can't be there to speak to every customer. Your story must be so compelling that a consumer will realize on their own that they can't live without your idea.

Convince me of that and I will get involved.

It's hard work

People look at me outside work and think it has been so easy for me. I am here to tell you that it is not easy. If it were, everyone would do it. What they don't know is I am up early, I work late, I make sacrifices to make sure things work out. And when they don't, I suffer the consequences. If the trash needs to be emptied, I do it. If product is wrong, I spend the money to make it right. When I get a new customer, I have to be sure that customer is satisfied so they tell their colleagues.

It would be nice to go to work and push papers from one side of my desk to another, collect a big paycheck and spend afternoons at the Country Club like all my friends. The problem is... they work hard too. They are sacrificing just like me.

It is the people sitting around talking who have all that time. Funny how that works. Most people have because they do. Others don't have because they simply talk.

Be prepared

Hiring independent contractors to work on your idea requires lots of oversight. Even someone with lots of experience in their field still doesn't have the vested interest in your idea like you do. Their idea is to do "work for hire." Their objective is to make as much as they can on each project and then move on to the next. They don't want to be tied down to anything for an extended period of time. For you, an independent contractor is a good way to find highly skilled individuals and only pay them for the time you need.

Be prepared. Outline your expectations. Keep a close eye on them. Whenever possible, I like to bring independent contractors into my office to work. This way I can prevent them from going off track before I have invested in numerous wasted hours. I also am there to help solve issues that may come up. It may be a bit more expensive but in the long run it can save a huge amount.

An established firm is also a possibility but I try to avoid that whenever possible because I am paying for each staff member along with all their overhead.

Get the best people you can, work closely with them and reward them as generously as you can so when you need them in the future, they will want to work with you. Finally, don't be afraid to cut your loses quickly if someone you contract with is not doing the job. Chances are they are not going to get any better. They are not an employee and are probably doing their best, so if that isn't good enough, move on to someone else. It is the best thing for you and for them.