I am an ideas factory. How do I know what will work?

Dear Aunty B,

I run a business consultancy that is expanding rapidly. I have a great management team that has enabled me almost from day one to spend more time working on the business, rather than in it.

I have just come back from overseas where I saw the true potential of my business. My problem is that while I work on the business, I see many opportunities for future expansion and I don’t know what ideas to give priority to. My staff are not very helpful and at times seem resistant to new ideas.

Any ideas?

Eric C,
Melbourne

Eric, I bet you drive your staff nuts. Look, it’s a great idea to travel overseas and look at what is working in other markets.

Conversely there is nothing worse than a boss who arrives back with a European suntan, and disturbs staff from their work with a stream of new ideas. No wonder they are resistant.

Write down your ideas, and put them to a small group of forward thinkers who include staff and outsiders.

Tick ideas off against the following criteria:

• Company vision.
• Customer unmet need.
• Market demand.
• What is the time frame?
• How will success be measured?
• What resources are required?
• What is the cost?
• What is the return?
• When is the return? Ideally you want a return on investment from day one.

Go about it in a disciplined way and you will find that staff resistance will melt away (as long as you resource the big idea properly).

Remember, entrepreneurs do not suffer from lack of ideas or lack of opportunities.

Our problem is lack of discipline, lack of resources, love of the new and a low boredom threshold.

Good luck,

Your Aunty B