opportunity /idea lifecycle

1. Observer current real world
2. Identify drivers of change
   • lower cost
   • better experience
   • higher value
   • less risk / higher stability
   • less complexity
   • more fun
   • faster
   • easy
3. Imagine new world
4. Note the opportunities
5. Generate ideas to achieve those opportunities
6. Then just do it
   

opportunities are better than ideas

Opportunities are better than ideas.

Opportunities :

• are more real than ideas.
• are external while ideas are internal
• require ideas to accomplish them.
• are self fulfilling unlike ideas which most of times just give mental satisfaction

There can be many ways to achieve the opportunities.  Though many opportunities are uninspiring, it is better to pursue them than internal ideas.

So don’t start with ideas and then look for opportunities to apply them. Rather look for opportunities and achieve them whether through new ideas or copied experiences.

Opportunities could be in all aspects of life. Whatever I like to have in my life – relationships, money, fame, knowledge, experience, fun, … I need to look for opportunities to enhance them.

Don’t make TODOs of the opportunities. Get inspired and imagine through opportunities.

So the new way is :

• observe
• imagine
• look for opportunities
• brainstorm and generate ideas to accomplish those

active life

You do things because :

1. You have been doing it or planned earlier to do it.

2. Someone tells you to do it.

3. You see opportunities in future and you decide do this for achieving that goal.

Zombies live with first 2 drivers for all their lives.

Active life needs 3rd kind of attitude.

It might not be just ‘what’ but ‘when’ as well. Purposeful life needs core activities done because one wants/plans to do. Eventhough there would be still be many things that need to be done for external / past reasons.

In those cases atleast one should have control over ‘when’ and/or ‘how’ to do, if not ‘what’.

marketing of ideas

The main point is to communicate about new thing to prospective user.

- stories are best medium of communication.
- interuption advertising is one way ( most broadly used)
- Ad-entertainment is another.

In any case a existing market is essential where prospects gather. Group permissions are easier than individual ones. For instance, I prefer an Ad on train compartment, than one in my mailbox.

So steps for marketing are :
Find markets where prospects gather/participate.
Find ways to tell your story – funny, entertaining, teaching, giving hope or thrillingly.
Create business plan – how much do you think you can earn in next 2 years.
Then figure out how much you can afford to spend on story telling.
Story should be :
Interesting / compelling
Related to the idea / product

marketing ideas

Ideas should be written else they are forgotten
Ideas should be told as stories.
Ideas should be tried out.
Ideas should be implemented not just played with.

Then,

Product that came out of the above should be marketed, made to reach the audience.

The ‘user’ doesn’t know that you have a gift for him. He doesn’t trust you even he comes to know.
He also is not interested in trying new stuff, nor he has time to do trials.