All it takes is the RIGHT cheerleader
So you have an idea. Who cares?! Everyone has great ideas every day. I even keep a running note section on my phone for the daily "genius" idea. We all have bubbles of brilliance, but what do we do with those ideas when they pop up? It's all about execution right?!! There are 7,891 self-help books telling us how to execute, remove obstacles to success, and turn a good idea into a great one, but where do you start? I would argue that it's about surrounding yourself with people who are your cheerleaders and see not only the potential in your idea, but the potential in you to EXECUTE it. Just imagine if Steve Jobs had never been pushed to join that computer club by a neighbor or if Brad Pitt's parents hadn't supported him dropping out of college and moving to LA? Was that too far? Okay, maybe don't imagine that, but you get my point. I have an amazing community of friends and family who believe in me all the time, but one random message on Linkedin to someone I had met months before, made all the difference.
Last fall, I was venturing to "restart" networking post COVID lockdown. I was sending out Linkedin messages to people I had met once or twice but hadn't seen in person in a while. I sent a message to Kristin Slink--hereto called "the CHEERLEADER". The CHEERLEADER was starting her business-#TechAF- focused on supporting non-technical female founders who have great ideas for an app or website but aren't sure how to turn it into a business. She was kicking off her first cohort (a word commonly used in this space to describe a group of people on the same path working through a program together) focused on taking your idea through validation and then to a prototype! It sounded like an amazing and unique program and a good chance for me to whip out my list of "great" ideas.
Over the next 16 weeks, I met with the CHEERLEADER and a group of amazing women with some awesome ideas working to turn them into a reality. As the CHEERLEADER led us through validation; we did market research, customer surveys and interviews, high-level business plan development, and much more. I looked into all the apps and websites I could find that were aimed at helping people book travel, plan events, or sync schedules with friends. We basically worked the process until we came out on the other side with enough of a roadmap to be dangerous. Without the CHEERLEADER literally saying "Just Do It", I would have found a million reasons why I didn't have time or why it won't work and honestly those feelings still come up on a daily basis. But knowing there are awesome people in my corner, always helps!
Thanks for reading! More soon :)