Comments on: Guest Post-Want To Catch The Next Big Idea? Use Your Hand As Bait

By: dmcconnell

dmcconnell — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:15:08 +0000

Great post, Seth, full of energy. I’m about to print the whole trail, highlight the points I plan to implement, and get moving!

You know your post is a good one when the comments are this engaging. =)

By: dmcconnell

dmcconnell — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Great post, Seth, full of energy. I’m about to print the whole trail, highlight the points I plan to implement, and get moving!

You know your post is a good one when the comments are this engaging. =)

By: Jo

Jo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:06:03 +0000

Charlie: What a riot! I only looked at the catfish video. Never knew stay at home dads could have so much fun! More later.

By: Jo

Jo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Charlie: What a riot! I only looked at the catfish video. Never knew stay at home dads could have so much fun! More later.

By: PRstore Blog » Let It Snow

PRstore Blog » Let It Snow — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:18:09 +0000

[...] December 2008, Portland, OR was blanketed with the most snow we’ve seen in 40 years. It left the city completely shut down for almost a week and cost the city $2.2 million not [...]

By: Richard Skaare

Richard Skaare — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:09:29 +0000

This is definitely the whackiest analogy I have read and seen about taking charge of ideas and your life and definitely one of the most intriguing,insightful, and memorable. Who would have thunk it but Seth Simonds! It will be on my mind for a long time. Thanks, Seth, and thanks Chris for hosting the promotion of ideas that are innovative, to say the least.

By: Richard Skaare

Richard Skaare — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:09:00 +0000

By: Demian Farnworth

Demian Farnworth — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:27:13 +0000

I love it. Baiting the big fish. This indeed does work. The first step has to be key. Success favors the prepared, the ready.

And what a freaking cool story. Unbelievable people will do for fun.

By: Demian Farnworth

Demian Farnworth — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:27:00 +0000

I love it. Baiting the big fish. This indeed does work. The first step has to be key. Success favors the prepared, the ready.

And what a freaking cool story. Unbelievable people will do for fun.

By: Jamie Lee

Jamie Lee — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:40:57 +0000

Crazy beats boring all day long.
I’m on the edge of jumping off into some new waters of my own – a couple projects that have been brewing away on the back burner of my brain for a while now. I absolutely love this metaphor (though it’s not something I’d every try in real life!). The advice you offer to “get in – do something – invite friends to join your party” is so simple it’s brilliant.

For those who, like me, are in the baby-step phase, I’d like to share 10 quick ways to chalk up some checkmarks in the “DO!” category:
1. Give your dream a home. Set up a file folder (manilla or digtal … doesn’t matter) so you have a destination for any thoughts, references, or random notes.
2. Research. Set up a few Web searches in your area of interest so you can keep up to date with the latest greatest.
3. Learn.Subscribe to blogs in your area of interest – talk about immersing yourself … blogs are one of the best ways to learn what’s going on in a given industry, AND they offer the opportunity for dialog and creating connections.
4. Buy a domain. A personal favorite of mine. It doesn’t cost much money, gives your vision a sense of reality, and is a little like calling “dibs” on your project’s name.
5. Set up a twitter account. Even if all you do is put a “coming soon” or “stay tuned” message out there – it’s one more way to start creating something out of nothing.
6. Fill your project folder!! Whether you’re clipping Web pages, starting an address book, or just capturing your brilliant ideas as random notes; start to collect everything in one place. It won’t take long to build an impressive collection that will provide you both reference and inspiration as you move forward.
7. Tell someone. I don’t mean the guy at the local paper or your whole twitter network. Be discreet. Be protective. But sharing your idea with a trusted confidant continues to build a sense of “this is real” in your mind. And the perception in your mind is what matters.
8. Invest in your ideaIt doesn’t have to be a huge investment, but I’ve found that plunking down some cold, hard cash has a way of inspiring me to take a project to the next step. It can be something small – rent a PO Box, print a few business cards – anything.
9. Open up a business account. In many instances, this is free and requires minimal paperwork. I felt very “official” when I opened my first DBA (doing business as) account.
10. Set some goals. Don’t freak out about creating a whole business plan right away, but start to think about what it is EXACTLY that you’d like to accomplish. Make your goals concrete and very specific. Create some that are pie-in-the-sky (so you have something to shoot for) and some that are “quickies” (so you can get a sense of accomplishment early on). Make it a game and play for all you’re worth.

Good luck to everyone starting out on a new adventure!!
I hope to reconnect when I’m ready to announce my own launches.
;)