F*ck Execution. Ideas Are Everything.
F*ck Execution. Ideas Are Everything.
I want to protect you from bad advice.
This installment of One-Person Business Success is free for everyone. I send this email twice every week. If you would also like to receive it, join a community of ambitious solopreneurs today.
One of the things I want to do with this newsletter is protect you from bad advice.
There’s SO much bad advice out there, especially for a beginner solopreneur, and it can slow you down by years.
One of my “favorite” BS pieces of advice is this:
“It’s not about ideas, it’s about execution.”
Here’s why that’s sucky advice and how to come up with the best ideas ever.
Secret to Success: Ideas Are Everything
If you have a bad idea, execution would be pointless. It would lose you time & money, and hurt your reputation.
Go ahead, start a silly business. Suggest the stupidest idea to your boss. Write an article about your toenails.
Execute. I dare you.
If you have an average idea, good execution can help you make the best of it—but it still wouldn’t bring about anything great.
Just look at the Spice Girls.
If you have a great idea, that’s when execution really matters.
Poor execution can botch a great idea, for sure. But without a great idea, there would be nothing to botch in the first place.
Execution matters, but I won’t have anyone tell me that ideas don’t.
Plus, most of us have more experience with execution than idea generation anyway.
If you’ve ever had a job, you’ve executed others’ ideas. But how many bosses ever asked you to generate new ideas for their business? And how many times?
Why you need to know this.
Because idea generation is a thing. Moreover, it’s a thing the Greats do.
James Altutcher, a 7-figure writer (among other things), contributes a massive part of his success to his idea-generation routine. He’s written a book about it called Become An Idea Machine: Because Ideas Are The Currency Of The 21st Century.
Tim Denning said in a recent webinar he hosted that when he first started his newsletter, he was struggling to come up with ideas for topics. Then, he met a guy who ran a 7-figure newsletter. The guy called Tim a dummy and taught him how to steal inspiration from the ideas of others.
Joanna Weibe, a 7-figure copywriter for HubSpot, Shopify, and Google, takes days to research & work on the angle & overall idea of her copy before she writes but a word.
(Did you notice what those idea-focused people have in common? Yes, the 7 figures.)
How to generate badass ideas.
My favorite way of doing it is to write about my breakthroughs.
This means searching for breakthroughs is a part of my job, which should mean that I’ve found the best job ever.
I like to start my days by reading newsletters on Substack and articles on Medium. I’m careful about what I read: I choose my favorite creators and top publications.
I sometimes check out Business Insider for stories, too.
As I read, I jot down 5 ideas I love. Ideas that made me go, “Hm!” That lit up a bulb in my brain.
Sometimes, I write down things I disagree with. Anything that makes me react.
I do this at least 3 times per week, which means I get 15 great ideas every week.
But usually more, because I read a lot and there’s always something that makes me stop in my tracks.
How to use that.
So, what do I do when I have other people’s great ideas? Do I just copy them? Not exactly.
Mostly, I use them as inspiration.
I try to:
Think about why those ideas spoke to me; share a relevant personal story.
Think about how much I agree or disagree; explain my arguments.
Put my spin on it. I’m all about taking small steps and adopting a more laid-back approach to success, so whatever the idea, I present it through this prism.
Is it really okay to steal ideas?
It’s not okay; it’s a must. All successful people do it. Tim Denning just did it with this article, which is really a response to this viral Medium article.
Peek behind the curtain.
If you’re new here, this section is where I share a few snippets about my day-to-day life as a full-time writer/solopreneur.
Recent success.
started recommending One-Person Business Success. Kristina is a master marketer and very successful on Medium, Substack & YouTube. I’m super excited (and totally recommend her, too—check out her newsletter here).Recent failure.
I’m failing at posting regular content on X and LinkedIn. I do okay on Medium and Substack, but with the other two, it’s like time just isn’t enough. I’m wondering if I should keep working on both and continue to see slow progress or just focus on one to achieve faster, better results.
Haven’t decided yet which is better. I’ll keep you posted.
New thing I’m trying.
I’m writing the first drafts of articles and newsletters (this one included) on my phone. I’ve done it before, but I do it A LOT now.
It gives me a lot of freedom. I have so many errands lately, and I often find myself waiting in line or drinking coffee alone in between appointments. That’s when the phone comes out.
Some evenings, after I retire to the couch, exhausted, an idea pops up. I’m too lazy to go to my desk, so I just whip out my phone, and before I know it, I have the first draft of an article.
It’s working very well, and I’d highly recommend it for people who feel pressed for time (so everyone, right?)
Thanks for reading this very long issue of One-Person Business Success!
Hoping you wake up with amazing ideas every day,
Maya
A good read - thank you!