"That is just a seed of an idea, and what do you need to make a seed grow?"

Idea Formulation…how do you do it? Once it's done, is it really? What is a good idea? These may seem like abstract questions but there are real ways to come up with and refine your ideas. I was never a lemonade stand kid, I sold candy for fundraising but that wasn't my idea…like every other kid I was forced to. I was never entrepreneurial either, I went in to college wanting to study psychology and political science so that I could go to law school and get a high paying, high power law job somewhere. I forgot to mention that I probably wouldn't have time to see my future wife, kids, buddies, or let alone have time to go to the gym and take care of myself. But thanks to my girlfriend, Cailen, I was shown the light in the spring semester of my freshman year. Much to the dismay of my parents, I changed my major from the safe secure jail sentence of going to years of law school and logging long hours at the office, to Entrepreneurial Studies and well having no specific job or skill set. I soon found out that my job would be to recognize good ideas and opportunities and my skill set would be to tune into my inner Benjamin Franklin and develop different business and money making, world bettering ideas.

So after 18 years of not thinking of ideas as businesses (as a kid I would always bitch about the tag on the back of the shirt bothering me, if only I could think of a better way back THEN…The Tagless Tee). I have for the last three years been spinning my wheels and churning out ideas. If I remember correctly I came up with about six business ideas in about 2 weeks the summer between my freshman and sophomore year. This is where idea formulation and germination come into play. Back then I was thinking mainly how to make money, not what I want to do or am passionate about. Since I was thinking in this way I always missed critical information. My parents were always happy and quick to point these "critical" mistakes out, hopefully stopping me from pursuing my ideas and from their point of view saving me from getting in trouble, hurt, or in debt. I always viewed their advice as a road block, believing parent knows best and getting really upset because I felt they were not behind me on my ideas. In reality I should have been thanking them for pointing out my mistakes. I should have written down every critique they had and went back to the drawing board to come up with ways to conquer or get around these "road blocks." After a very stressful and argument-riddled summer I started to think of these critiques as gifts (sounds pretty gay right?). While watching T.V. once I came across a quote to better describe what I am talking about. From the T.V. show 10 Items or Less;

"That is just a seed of an idea, and what do you need to make a seed grow?"

"Water?"

"No...manure, someone needs to #2 all over your idea."

So next time someone points out something wrong with your grand idea, don't dismiss it but grab it and internalize how you can take their crap and turn it in to manure. Let me know some people who routinely crap on your ideas and maybe some reasons why they do that.