Hello, my name is Emily and I’m an editor at IdeaMensch. I’m a young female entering the workforce in a matter of months, and it’s great to be inspired by other female thought leaders. Sometimes, bringing ideas to life can be difficult. According to Stephen Key from an article on Entrepreneur.com, not having experience, time, or money are among the most common excuses for not bringing ideas to life. Here are motivating thoughts from five female thought leaders within our community about how they bring their ideas to life.
How do you bring ideas to life?
“I discuss them first with my team. Invariably, there are a few members who jump at my ideas and offer processes to figure out the viability of those ideas. Then we work hard to make it happen. My ideas mostly come from offering solutions to existing problems that most women have, therefore success is inevitable, as someone always benefits from them. I must admit all ideas require a lot of perseverance. It is never easy.”
-Ena Sarker, President of WomenNow
“I’ve learned to never stroke a pen on paper without first being fully immersed in the environment and exposed to all the variables of the problem I want to address. This discovery step is crucial as you often find that the problem you thought you had is actually not the problem at all — but a consequence of something entirely different and ultimately more important to address. Accurately framing the issue in context is the key to solving it. That means even if you have to dedicate 80% of your energy to thoroughly uncovering and understanding the situation, the time is well spent because your final output will be a true and conscious solution. This critical step allows you to stand strong by your work regardless of outside influences.”
-Diana Sierra, Co-founder and Ceo for BeGirl
“An idea is not tangible. Once you make it into a tangible form it breathes life. For example, simply jot it down, tell someone else about it, or build it!”
-Tina Hovsepian, Founder of Cardborigami
“When I have an idea, I always ask for feedback. If I get a positive response, I go full force, not resting until each phase is complete.”
– Tara Langdale-Schmidt, Co-founder and President of VuVatech
“The best way to bring ideas to life is to stop fearing failure. Sometimes it’s important to just take that leap of faith and know that it’s not always going to work out. Thinking for a long period about taking that leap is way less productive. I like to spend less time contemplating and more time coming up with ideas and pushing through on the execution. Don’t get me wrong — it’s important to be detailed and think your marketing campaigns through. However, sitting on an idea for too long is just as toxic as moving forward with a not-so-well-thought-out plan.”
-Cassie Petrey, Co-founder of Crowdsurf
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.