Speed from Idea to Action
IDEA FORMATION - The idea comes into my head. It could be something I read, something I heard, something I saw, a variation of something that exists. Whatever. The idea is formed.
DONT LOSE IT - I immediately write this down in my iPhone notes. I have thousands of notes, but my brain dump/ to-do note is where everything goes from the start. I need to get it down fast so I donāt lose it.
SAVE FOR LATE - Most of the time, I donāt have the ability to deep dive right then. Thatās why I write it down. But later, I come back and start digging in.
FLESH OUT - Next is the āflesh outā phase. I take this idea and open chat GPT. I either text or voice record anything and everything I can think of with the idea. the target audience, the flow, the mission, the operations. EVERYTHING. Iām not worried about being accurate or factual. Itās just about getting it out there.
GPT TALK - At this point I ask GPT to help me further flesh the idea out. I use this prompt: Ask me one question at a time so we can develop a thorough, step-by-step spec for this idea. Each question should build on my previous answers, and our end goal is to have a detailed breakdown I can build upon. Letās do this iteratively and dig into every relevant detail. Remember, only one question at a time.
FILTER - This might take a little bit of time as I work through everything. In this phase, there are plenty of ideas that didnāt make it through. I realize itās not as feasible as I originally thought, or there are variables I donāt like or something else that pops up that turns me off. This is a FILTER PHASE. You need these filters through the process to test both YOU and the idea.
RESEARCH - From the filter phase, youāll enter into the research phase. This is all one and the same in my mind, but itās important to separate here on the steps so that you actually do it. Research is easier now than itās ever been. Right in GPT you can use deep research or any other LLM out there to find what you need to know. Even just āold schoolā Google works find. Other sources I like to use are Reddit, YouTube or even fb groups to see whatās out there or what people are talking about.
NEEDLE MOVING - This next phase is where the rubber meets the road. Youāve now processed through the idea, you believe that itās possible AND needed, now what? Well, you need to do something about it. Itās SO easy to stop here and hold this idea tight. But what you do next is what separates you from the pack. Maybe itās an app, maybe itās a business, maybe itās a book, maybe itās content to postā¦ whatever it is, just do something that moves the needle
SOMETHING - I know thatās broad. And I wrote it like that for a couple reasons. 1) because Iām not talking about any specific idea here and 2) because at this point itās not WHAT you do, itās just that you DO SOMETHING that matters.
SEND IT - Take this idea that youāve vetted and āsend itā. This looks different for everyone and for eve idea, but the concept remainsā throw it out into the world and see how it lands. For MANY cases, Iād recommend just running FB ads to really test the business (if it is a business) before you build too much out. This will help you vet it even further and narrow down your targeting
HOW - Different ways to āsend itā
post your video
Share your rough draft on a social platform
Build the MVP of your app and give it to friends to use
Start your business as a service and take on ONE client
Set up your camera, hit record, then publish it without editing
FEEDBACK - From this point, itās a matter of gathering feedback, taking the good and the bad and modifying as you see fit. Scaling and growth are totally separate conversations. The first hurdle is just taking your idea and putting action behind it.
GET TO WORK - Once Iāve fleshed out, filtered and vetted the idea, Iāll get to work.
for apps I use Replit, loveable, cursor or any other no code tools
For my content I share most of it to Twitter but also through my newsletter or YouTube
For my businesses, itās all situational, but I make sure that action is being taken. Setting up websites, Google profiles, phone lines, subcontractors needed, fb pages, meta ads, etc. one thing at a time just chipping away.
- IMPERFECTION - This process isnāt perfect, nor is it everything thatās involved, but itās a start. And thatās really all you need to do something great.