Random rules for ideas worth spreading by Seth Godin
January 27, 2018 by Dr. Letitia Wright
Filed under Featured Articles, Wright Ideas
Random rules for ideas worth spreading
By Seth Godin
with commentary by Dr Wright
If you’ve got an idea worth spreading, I hope you’ll consider this random assortment of rules. Like all rules, some are made to be broken, but still…
You can name your idea anything you like, but a google-friendly name is always better than one that isn’t.
Everyone loves that I have the Wright Place- the flaw? It doesnt tell you what I do, so I use the tag line: Telling Your Entrepreneur Story
Don’t plan on appearing on a reality show as the best way to launch your idea.
You would be surprised how many people plan on using Shark Tank, The Apprentice and anything else to get attention. Use some good old fashion advertising and Publicity to YOUR fan club!
Waiting for inspiration is another way of saying that you’re stalling. You don’t wait for inspiration, you command it to appear.
Don’t poll your friends. It’s your art, not an election.
Never pay a non-lawyer who promises to get you a patent.
Avoid powerful people. Great ideas aren’t anointed, they spread through a groundswell of support.
- The hard part is finishing, so enjoy the starting part. Sometimes you have to add a finisher to your team.
- Powerful organizations adore the status quo, so expect no help from them if your idea challenges the very thing they adore.
- Figure out how long your idea will take to spread, and multiply by 4.
- Be prepared for the Dip.
- Seek out apostles, not partners. People who benefit from spreading your idea, not people who need to own it. This is a big idea
- Keep your overhead low and don’t quit your day job until your idea can absorb your time.
- Think big. Bigger than that.
- Are you a serial idea-starting person? If so, what can you change to end that cycle? The goal is to be an idea-shipping person.
- Try not to confuse confidence with delusion. Know how is going to pay for it and why.
- Prefer dry, useful but dull ideas to consumer-friendly ‘I would buy that’ sort of things. A lot less competition and a lot more upside in the long run.
- Pick a budget. Pick a ship date. Honor both. Don’t ignore either. No slippage, no overruns.
- Surround yourself with encouraging voices and incisive critics. It’s okay if they’re not the same people. Ignore both camps on occasion.
- Be grateful. Yes in this economy and with these customers!
- Rise up to the opportunity, and do the idea justice.