Kick Butt Collaboration

How many new ideas do you think of on a daily basis? How do you decide which ones to act on? Where do you keep all of those ideas until you're ready to put them into action?

I've come a long way with managing my creative process. The more focused I become on specific goal-oriented projects, the less time I spend going off into total world domination mode - the place where one simple concept morphs into a global initiative.

I'm going to take a moment to show you how my most recent venture came about.

MY IDEA BOOK

This is the sacred place where my ideas get written down. Not all ideas make the cut, however. If it's a thought I can't seem to shake or something that comes to me in the middle of the night, I jot it down. Other factors come into play, but you get the picture. Periodically, I flip through my idea book and cross things off that no longer interest me. I wrote down the idea of having coaching and coffee a few months ago.

CLARITY

Usually when I have a bright idea, that's all I have. I wrote about this in the post talking about fear. Rarely do I have a detailed plan attached to the concept. Just as fate would have it, when all of the pieces need to fall into place, that's exactly what happens. This is especially true in this particular instance. Because I'd briefly brainstormed and ran this by my accountability partners, I did have somewhat of a clue as to how this event would actually look. Sometimes all it takes is a few key bullet points and logistics to move your ideas closer to fruition.


CONNECTIONS

My relationship with the owner began close to a year ago on twitter (I make it a point to follow locally owned businesses and entrepreneurs) when he tweeted a coupon good for new customers only. It was a well executed marketing strategy to get newcomers through the door and coffee happens to be one of my favorite things. My initial experience was fun and personable, just the way service is supposed to be and my barista won me over when he concocted something using my three must-have ingredients: vanilla, cream whip, and caramel - in that order. When I saw Kick Butt's callout on Facebook letting folks know the venue was available for events I immediately sent an email and within 15 minutes, Thomas and I were on the phone. Note: Knowing the decision makers saves you so much time on the front end. About 30 minutes later, we'd worked out all of the details and I was good to go.

Now all I needed to do was figure out how to conduct 5-minute speed coaching. Let me rephrase that - I know how to coach, but I've never actually organized speed coaching sessions. Not a problem. I knew who to call. I got Julie Lara on the phone and within another 10 minutes, she got me all hooked up.

DON'T think you need to have all the answers.
DO surround yourself with other people who do.


REALITY

Today marked my first Kick Butt Coffee & Coaching and the next is scheduled for November 16th. Was it a success? By my definition, yes. Simply deciding to get up and take action was half the battle. It would've been easy to sit back and wait for the "perfect" time to move forward. With very little marketing and the fact that today was election day, three people showed up. My inaugural gig was 1/4 full capacity! I know...most people wouldn't celebrate and share what some would consider a low turnout. The truth of the matter is we don't always come out of the gate and hit our target. We meet our goals by committing to consistency. Slow and steady still wins the race.

Your ideas are the beginning of the journey. No matter when you start, you can't expect to arrive overnight.