All posts by Jay

A Technique For Producing Ideas

Book Reviews

Technique For Producing Ideas Book Cover

A Technique For Producing Ideas explains a very simple, very basic, and very important 5-step process for creating ideas. The concepts aren’t earth-shattering, but well time-tested.

Step 1: Gather Raw Material. Instead of waiting for inspiration to solve a problem, start by collecting both specific (depth) and general (breadth) knowledge. Ideas are often born by combining things in a new way.

Step 2: Digest Raw Material. This step is probably the hardest to do when you’ve got a looming deadline. But you need to take the time to ponder the raw material you gathered to become deeply familiar with it. You’re not actively looking for a solution, you’re letting the solution find you magnetically. Find something of interest, and combine it with something else. You’re putting together a puzzle, but don’t know what the final picture will look like yet.

Step 3: Take a Break. After you’ve gathered, and digested, you need to let it ferment mentally. Your mind is expert at juggling the bits to create a whole “in the background”. Instead of staring at the problem and burning yourself out, walk away physically from it, and do something enjoyable. While relaxing (and recharging) your mind is still trying to solve the problem you’ve presented it.

Step 4: Constantly Think About It. Almost magically, you’ll likely have your “Idea” seemingly out of thin air. It’s your subconscious reporting in with the answer you sought. This is what most people think that great idea people do – they magically “get” answers. They do so mostly because they’ve done their mental homework – and prepared to innovate.

Step 5: Test It. Just because you have what you think is the “answer” doesn’t mean that it’s complete or even correct. Patience. Test it in the world – open yourself for criticism or ensure that the idea truly addresses the core problems you’re trying to solve. Your initial idea may simply be the “seed crystal” – the thing that triggers the full solution from a small part.

Generating ideas in a modern, rushed society is hard. Remember, if the solution was easy – it would be obvious. But patiently stalk the idea by understanding, digesting, and fermenting. Then, harvest your ideas and enjoy them.

The Right Way To Brand Yourself

Creative Business Ideas

Branding Yourself The Right Way

(Photo by Phillie Casablanca)

Whether you’re just starting out or growing your business, you recognize that it’s important to brand yourself. Your goal is create an underlying core value experience that people have working with you – in a word, “trust”. So, how can you create your own brand?

Branding begins by proving that you are worth knowing. The common way people create proof is to list their claims to fame in a professional bio (showcasing their educational training and special internships). It’s like a posting your diploma on the wall behind your office desk – everyone that comes to see you can be reassured that some trusted organization has “approved you”.

But your clients ultimately don’t care about your (lack of) diploma. What they care about is, “Will working with you produce a significantly better outcome for me?” Unless you already have the guaranteed solution for your prospective client, your best branding opportunity is to focus on the emotion underneath their question.

Instead of using a biography (or “About Me/Us” website page) to talk about yourself, use the bio to focus on the emotional experience people have working with you. This isn’t a testimonial per se, it’s showing how your past experiences combined with your raw talent has helped others (who were equally unsure of working with you in the past).

Your branding should explain why your marketing promise will be kept. Be clear about what problems you generally encounter (and how you’ve worked through them). Be clear about lessons learned. Be clear that it’s not really about you – it’s about them.

Since branding is a long-term business strategy, regularly ask your current (and past) clients why they love working with you. Together, these stories will help you to not only craft a strong branding message but also it will help you to fine-tune your marketing to attract more people who will love the chance to hire you.

TV Talk Show Creative Name?

Names + Taglines

Hi, Please could you suggest names for a talk show targeted at youths 15+ to 35. The show would discuss everything youths. I’m hoping it would air on the local network TV. These demos would watch it because it would discuss issues from the points of view of the youths as well as have professionals in the field address the topic as necessary.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Talkin’ Millennials
  • Gen Next Talk

Mixing Golf And Gambling? Can It Be Done?

Names + Taglines, Publicity

Hi, I have to put a signboard up on a golf course to advertise our casino. I don’t just want to put our logo on there. I was thinking if i can get a funky slogan or tagline to add under the logo it would draw so much more attention. The sign will be on one of the par 4’s at the tee off. What tagline can i use that would incorporate golf and casinos? “I BET you cant hit a hole in one” maybe that would be a bit offensive? Please help?

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Want more GREEN?
  • Join us at the 19th Hole

Tag Line For A Service Desk Software Company

Names + Taglines

We commercialize an Help Desk software suite that enables companies to centralize all kinds of requests (incidents, queries, knowledge), to follow up, to manage an ensemble of linked tasks, and to automatize their management in a few clicks. We cater to the following users: IT Managers, IT Directors, IT Service Management Lead and sell to Fortune 500 companies throughout the world. Key points: Agile, fully customizable… so very flexible. Some competitors sell their solution for 250 000.00$. We offer the same functionalities with equivalent robustness for a fraction of that price. The focus of the message should be on THEIR business. They buy our software to better manage the incoming queries at their customer service department so that they can concentrate on what’s the most important for them: THEIR business.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • World-Class Customized IT Help Desk
  • We Help Your IT Team Work Smarter

Need Title For 50th Anniversary Of A Dam/Lake

Names + Taglines, Publicity

We need an overall name for a big 50th Anniversary series of events for a Lake/Dam project. This will encompass 50 events that last all year. We could only come up with A Golden Damiversary or A Damtastic Celebration. It is Lake Hartwell Dam. We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Dam and Lake Project and the Corp of Engineers has asked us to do 50 events for the year. These events will be spread across all 6 counties and sponsored those counties involved. There will be a Historical photo exhibit of the building of the Dam touring the 6 counties throughout the year. Locals are asked to submit photos and stories from the time the Dam was built. The goals are to raise awareness of the Lake and all the cities/counties surrounding it to increase tourism. Also, to refresh a sense of pride on what was created with their ancestors help.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • 50 Years of Hart
  • A Dam Fine Place
  • Happy 50th, Lake Hartwell

Small Online Jewelry Retail Business Name Idea

Names + Taglines

I’m setting up small online jewelry resale business but I need help to come up with a name. I want it to be something unique & chic yet modern. I myself will not be designing the jewelry but my name is Lili and I wouldn’t want something like ‘Lilipad’. I do like words like:bubble/bubbly, cotton , blossom, sunshine. Can’t think of anything else right now. Thanks for your help :)

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Jay’s Answer:  Put aside the words you like. Start thinking like your prospective customers. How would they find you? How old are they? Why would they buy from you (instead of any of your competitors) – especially since you’re not designing these pieces? Are you trying to serve the world, a country, a region, or a city?

Name For Private Residential Lending Company

Names + Taglines

Need to come up with a catchy but effective tagline for our new private lending company called RehabMac. The users for this are usually smaller rehab investors who fix and flip and see the opportunity in the market but don’t have any money. That’s OK, we’re their lender. Today when almost all banks aren’t lending at all, private capital has been the way for folks to get the capital they need to buy distressed assets and create wealth.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Private Lending For Small Home Investors
  • Giving Small Home Investors an Edge

 

How to Solve Our Labour Problem?

Services

What is best way to solve labour problem? To give them high wages? because they get high wages in other sector than our sector….i’m owner of bakers but employees get high wages in diomond sector i cant get employees easily…

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Jay’s Answer: Wages are a very poor long-term motivator for employees. Yes, people gravitate to jobs that pay more, but there are many other job benefits that people look for that you can provide: flexible hours, training, education, interesting work, charity support, retirement benefits, etc. Focus on what you can do for them and that would be attractive to them.