Karen Davies [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show. This is episode a 11 and in today's episode I'm going to be talking about the curse of having too many ideas and how to choose just one idea that you can actually make money from in your business. So, let's jump right in and let's get started.
Welcome to the Digitally. She does it show. I am your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business. If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you. With my award winning approach to marketing, and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energised, and ready to bring those big dreams to life.
Karen Davies [00:00:53]:
Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know how along with actionable step by step strategies to help you accelerate your businesses grow. So let's dive in and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes which drop every Wednesday.
Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I'm your host Karen and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to today's episode. So today, I'm talking about the curse of having too many ideas which can lead to not knowing where to start. So today we're gonna break it down, we're gonna talk about that and then I'm gonna share with you how you can actually choose one idea that you can make money from in your business. But before I do, let's talk about the Digital Creators Hub because this is your one stop shop for getting started online.
Karen Davies [00:01:50]:
Now, I've made some updates to the hub and I've put some really great resources in there that is going to help you if you are at the very start of your online journey. So what I want you to do is head on over to my website, www.karen-davies.com/hub and go and get free access so that you can get started online today. I've got resources.
I've got templates. I've got questions and answers that I'm sharing with you. I've even put in there all of my favourite tools that helps me to run my online business. So if you want to get started but you don't know where to start then head on over to the hub and go and get free access. There's no better time than now today to get started with creating your business online.
Karen Davies [00:02:46]:
Okay. So back to today's episode and today I'm talking about having way too many ideas and not knowing where to start and I think this is probably true of most entrepreneurs. I think if you are an entrepreneur especially in the online space I am sure you've probably experienced the overwhelming feeling of having too many ideas swirling around in your mind and not knowing how to get started and I think whilst the ideas are great because we want to have these ideas because great ideas lead to innovation and great outcomes. Having too many ideas can actually paralyze you into inaction and then that's not great for your business because it means that if you're not taking action you're not making money. So in today's episode I want to talk about why having too many ideas can hold you back, how to filter through and validate validate those ideas that you have and how to choose one idea that you can move forward with and make money from and by the end of this episode you'll have a really clear action plan to help you to stop overthinking and start moving forward. Okay, so let's start by talking about how having too many ideas can actually feel overwhelming because it's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new idea because there are so many possibilities that are open to us. I mean, for example, we could start a create a new course. We can create a new product in our business.
Karen Davies [00:04:30]:
We can launch new service. We can build a brand new funnel. We can launch a podcast, a YouTube channel, an email newsletter. We can run Facebook ads. We can go public speaking and speak at big events. The possibilities are endless and I think because of that it can be really overwhelming to know where to start and I think having too many ideas can actually paralyze us into doing nothing. So it can be actually counterproductive because when we're in inaction we're not progressing or moving things forward. So the problem is is when you also have so many ideas and you just pick one idea there is also that fear that maybe an idea that you didn't pick you're going to miss out on success with the idea.
Karen Davies [00:05:27]:
So, for example, you could be at a crossroads where you're thinking I need to build my audience online. Should I launch a podcast or should I launch a YouTube channel? So, if you go and choose a podcast then that you could end up having that fear of have I made the right decision? What if a YouTube channel was better for me? And that in itself can actually keep you stuck because what will then happen is you'll start overthinking and you won't be fully involved in the decision that you've made. The other thing that tends to happen when we have so many ideas is that we get caught up in this perfectionism trap because you want everything to be perfect. So when we have a new idea we start planning, researching the idea but the problem is is you can get lost in the details at the most cellular level of the idea and then what then could happen is nothing ever gets done because you're spending too long focusing on making sure that you're getting everything just right. I mean I see this with a lot of course creators. They spend a lot of time coming up with their course topic because they want to make sure that the topic they choose is perfect, that it's exactly what their audience wants and even in the planning stage where you're mapping that idea out. But the problem is is if you spend too long in that stage you're not actually creating the content that you need to get the course done. So you never get into launch phase because you're always in the planning stages.
Karen Davies [00:07:16]:
You're always trying to refine your idea then you overthink your idea and because of that you don't then take action. So it's so easy at the start of launching an idea or coming up with an idea to get caught up in that perfectionism trap which then again leads to inaction. The other thing that can happen when you have so many ideas is that you get caught up in the shiny object syndrome where you bounce from one idea to another and you're constantly being distracted by the next shiny object. So one day you are thinking about creating an online course because that's what you think that you need to be doing in your business but then the next day you're thinking about starting a podcast or a YouTube channel or maybe collaborating with another partner or running Facebook ads. So nothing ever gets fully executed and then this leads to procrastination which then leads to inaction and then before you know it six months has passed and you've not actually done anything productive because you've been caught up in that trap of having way too many ideas and getting distracted and not focusing on making one idea come to life. So, having too many ideas can actually be a curse because it can stop you from moving your business forward. So, with that in mind, how can we filter through the ideas that we have and validate them so that we can avoid the overwhelm that we've experienced and we can step into taking action and moving forward with the right idea. So, if you are currently at a place in your business where maybe you are thinking about the next thing to launch, be it a course, a podcast, a YouTube channel, a an email newsletter, what whatever that might be, then I'm going to give you three simple questions to ask yourself so that you can test your ideas.
Karen Davies [00:09:25]:
So the first question is, is your idea aligned with your goals? So you need to be thinking about what your vision is and your long term goals are for your business and is this idea that you are currently thinking about something that's going to help you to move closer to where you want to be? So, for example, if you are focused on creating an online course then you may have an idea for it. Is it going to align to your overall goals? So, is creating an online course going to help you get to where you want to get to? So, really think about that and then in terms of the topic, because I know this is a place where so many people get stuck and they they spend way too much time in this this area trying to decide on what topic is best. What I would get you to ask yourself is how do I want to be known? What is my expertise? And is the topic that I'm going to teach on going to showcase the my expertise in the area that I want to be known because there's no point choosing a topic that you can teach on if it doesn't align with how you want to be perceived and and what you want to be known for. So, for example, with me, I have courses on how to create an online course and then all of my products align alongside that because ultimately when I being thought about, when I come in, you know, somebody sees me online or I meet somebody in a networking group or somebody hears my name, I want them to think Karen online courses digital business. So it makes sense that everything I create and launch aligns to how I wanna be perceived. I want to be that go to person for somebody that wants to create a successful and profitable business online and they come to me because I have the tools, the resources, the teaching available to get them to where they need to be. So the topic that I'm going to choose is always going to align with that greater good. Those goals that I've set for myself and how I want my reputation to be perceived.
Karen Davies [00:12:03]:
So you need to be thinking about this for yourself. How do I wanna be known? What do I want people to come to me for? And does that align with the course topic that I'm going to be choosing? Okay. So I've just digressed to speak about that but I just felt that this is something that does get people stuck and I think you just ask yourself those questions and that would just help you to move forward. Okay. So question two. So we are working out how to filter through and choose our ideas. So question two. I want you to ask yourself, does your audience need the thing that you're looking to create? So because I think one of the most important things to consider is whether or not there's market demand for what it is that you're creating.
Karen Davies [00:12:57]:
So is there a need and a gap in the market for the thing that you are looking to bring to life? If it's just something that you're excited about but it's not something that your ideal customer is excited about or even needs then you know that is not an idea that you want to be moving forward with. So, you need to validate it by knowing that your audience needs the thing that you're going to be working on And then question number three is can you execute it easily? So don't over complicate your idea. If an idea feels too big or it feels complicated or even overwhelming then you need to break it down into smaller steps. Okay. So even if it still feels impossible or outside your skill set then it may not be the right thing to pursue. Now, when I decided to launch this podcast, I had no idea how to create a podcast and launch it and how to record and do all the things. I invested in a course that taught me how to do it. It was the best investment I made and by the end of the course I had my podcast up ready and launched but I knew I had the skill set and the ability to make it happen.
Karen Davies [00:14:28]:
So, what I would recommend is that focus in on where your skills lie and don't spend time on stuff where it's just beyond what what it is that you can do because what will happen is you'll end up going down rabbit holes where you'll be focusing on areas that are just not where you want to be focusing your time on. When we launch stuff we want to make it as simple and easy as possible. We don't want it to be this massive thing that overwhelms us because we just won't get it done. So we need to make it easy on ourselves and create things that work in tandem with what we do. By all means, hire a VA, hire an expert, outsource it but don't waste your time in in areas where it's not needed because your time is precious and you want to be focusing on stuff that's actually going to move you closer to your goals and not further away from them. So choosing one idea because as we say as I said earlier when you have too many ideas it can be an absolute minefield. So how do you choose one idea and how do you stick with it? Especially when all those other ideas are kind of in your head and, you know, they're just there. You can't you can't let them go.
Karen Davies [00:16:02]:
So what I recommend is that once you've filtered through your ideas and you've chosen one idea that you want to move forward with, then you need to make that vow to stick with it. See it through. Show up. Be consistent. Do the work. Take action. See it through because if you keep jumping from one idea to the next to the next you little you won't get anything done. You won't get any further forward and you'll just end up wasting your time and you haven't got time to waste.
Karen Davies [00:16:34]:
So this is a strategy I use. So, I focus in on the minimum viable product that I can create. Now, what I mean about that is rather than trying to create the perfect fully polished course product idea, whatever, then create the smallest version possible first. Make sure it still provides the value but it doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be useful because here's the thing, when somebody buys a product or a service they're buying the results that that product or service is offering. They're not buying the prettiness and the aesthetics and all of the bells and whistles that go with it. They are looking for results because if you create something small and mighty that actually moves somebody a step forward in their life or in their business, that is going to be so valuable to them that they're not gonna care if it's not the prettiest thing in the world. All they care about is that it does the thing that is being, advertised.
Karen Davies [00:17:58]:
So I want you to focus on the smallest idea, the simplest idea but the one that's going to give the most value. And then, what I I have this ninety day rule that I subscribe to. So commit to one idea for ninety days. I know ninety days feels a lot but ninety days is a really good time frame. And then, what I want you to do is take action and focus on that one thing for those three months and then I want you to see how far you can take it. This rule helps you to start resisting that urge to jump ship too early but it also gives you time to start seeing progress. So the ninety day roll is really significant because you need to keep your focus for those ninety days. So just to recap on my strategy.
Karen Davies [00:19:00]:
Firstly, you want to choose the the smallest version of your idea first that you can create value from. It doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to provide value and then I want you to commit to that idea for ninety days and see it through. Bring it to life and make it happen. Now, of course the challenge is staying focused and making sure that you're moving forward with that one idea. I think the biggest challenge in business overall just generally is consistency because as entrepreneurs, we we constantly have things going in our heads, questions, doubts, all of that stuff but by staying focused and making sure that you're moving forward with one idea, you're actually going to bring it to life. So what you need to be thinking about is setting your schedule so that you're putting time aside each week where you block time out to work on that idea. So once you've got your idea and you know it's going to be the in the simplest form and you're giving yourself that in those ninety days to work on it then you need to mark out, block out, you know, time in your diary every single week where you can focus on it.
Karen Davies [00:20:27]:
Because during the those times where you're focusing on you that product, what you're doing is you're actually making progress and that's what we want to happen. So I want you to pick your idea using my three question test that I gave you earlier. I want you to commit to ninety days. So set a goal for yourself to focus on with this one idea and map it out over a ninety day period. I want you to break it down and create a very simple roadmap or a plan with key milestones that is going to be easy for you to follow and then I want you to block a time out in your diary where you can dedicate specific time each week to bringing your idea to life. Where you get rid of all the distractions and you just focus on making that one idea happen because what's important is progress. Progress is so fundamental not perfection. Now your idea of perfection, my idea of perfection is entirely different.
Karen Davies [00:21:43]:
Therefore, if it's subjective it doesn't exist. So we need to get rid of this idea that everything needs to be perfect. It doesn't need to be perfect, it needs to get done. So don't get stuck in the cycle of overthinking. I want you to take action even if it feels imperfect because you can always tweak things along the way. You can always launch it. You can always go through a launch, get it out there, get it tested, tweak it, refine it, launch it again. There's no hard and fast rules but if you never get it to launch phase, if you never get it in front of your ideal customer, if you never get it so that it's out there live then you're never going to get money from your idea.
Karen Davies [00:22:35]:
You're never gonna make that money that your idea is worth. So you're gonna end up leaving money on the table when you can be making money from your ideas. So don't get stuck in that cycle of overthinking, take action, do the work and get it done. So I'm just going to recap on these four key steps. I want you to pick your idea, commit to it for ninety days, break it down into a very simple roadmap and then I want you to block time out each week so you actually get it done. Okay. So, I hope you have found this episode to be valuable. I know firsthand what it's like to have way too many ideas and not to move forward with any.
Karen Davies [00:23:25]:
So I come at this episode with a lot of experience but I also am at the other end of it where I have created so many different products off the back of my ideas and I've made money from them. So I know how valuable they are they are for the growth of your business. Now it all starts with having confidence and knowing what it is you're worth and your ideas you have them for a reason. It's not because they're random. It's because you are having ideas that are needed because people need it in the world. You're here to make impact. Your ideas are here to create impact. So take the action and get them out and start making money from them today.
Karen Davies [00:24:15]:
And if you are ready to turn your ideas into a successful online course because maybe that's one of your ideas, maybe one of the ideas that you have in your head at the moment is about monetizing your expertise, your knowledge, your skills and creating a profitable online course that you can make money from on repeat, then I want you to check out my membership, Sell Your Brilliance Online. It's an all inclusive membership that's highly affordable and I give everything. I give you the resources, the step by step, the training, the the plug and play systems, everything you need I give you. Let's get your online course launched with confidence and with that clarity. Let's get your online course launched with clarity and confidence. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode.
I hope you found this episode of value and of course please do feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode. If today's discussion has sparked some inspiration and you're eager to dive deeper into creating your online presence then please head on over to my website www.karen-davies.com and if you're ready to take the next step in creating a profitable online course then check out my all inclusive membership, 'Sell Your Brilliance Online'.
Karen Davies [00:25:49]:
I will be back next week with another episode but until then have a great week. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the digitally she does it show.
Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode. New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday. So, why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode? Thank you for tuning in today and I will see you next time.
