HOW TO TURN AN IDEA INTO A PRODUCT
“So what must I do to find money for my dream? Where am I to begin?” I will reiterate this statement: if you can follow certain steps, then your success is assured.
Do not try to reinvent the wheel. 75% of your success lies in good preparation. You need to start acting, and only then you will have a chance to find at least some resources to fulfill your dream.
Planning or Preparation is often the most ignored element in the success formula. Imagine that you want to help the homeless. Instead of careful preparation, you just go out into the street, look for homeless people, and start trying to talk to them. What kind of result would you get? You will be beaten and most likely get robbed. If you are not prepared enough, you will continuously fail. And if it pertains to business, without preparation, you can already consider yourself bankrupt. In the process of preparation, you will find the resources that are missing to realize your dreams. You will find assistants or at least understand where to find them and how to attract them.
A True-Life Story.
Lyudmila was a middle-aged woman, who had been doing her small business for quite some time selling things in the market and everything was going smoothly. But Lyudmila, oddly enough, was concerned with a very unusual question. Every day in the market, she had to watch homeless beggars scavenging in garbage cans, old people collecting bottles, handing them over at the reception point. She often saw the same old woman asking for money with a box in her hands, and homeless children begging for money for a piece of bread. Lyudmila felt sorry for these people. How can I help them? Where can I get money to feed all these hungry beggars? She understood that life could be very difficult for these people, and she did not condemn them.
Several months passed before the thought dawned on Lyudmila. Since she single-handedly cannot help all these people, she needs to find those who would want to sponsor her idea.
The sellers in the market were owners of their businesses just as Lyudmila. At general meetings, they raised issues of market improvement, and at the next gathering, Lyudmila made a proposal. It consisted in that every owner donated money to feed the homeless and poor people who spend the whole day wandering around the market in the hope of receiving at least some money once a month. She proposed to organize a feeding point for the poor near the market. Lyudmila spoke about the advantages of this project:
first, they will get rid of the need to drive away “beggars” from their stalls, striving to steal something.
Secondly, “beggars” will get rid of the need to wander the market in search of food, which will improve the overall picture of the market.
Thirdly, all sellers on the market will become participants in charity, which is very common among entrepreneurs.
Fourthly, this gesture of goodwill will raise the rating of their market and glorify them before the whole city.
Lyudmila immediately had an idea to report on this to local newspapers, which she did not fail to tell the audience.
The idea was accepted “with a bang.” Everybody wanted to get rid of the daily need to drive away “beggars” and also to become famous as great benefactors.
Lyudmila immediately announced the amount that everyone will have to pay monthly for feeding the poor. She had previously found a cafe next to the market, which agreed to prepare meals for free. The products were purchased at the money the sellers in the market contributed. Also, Lyudmila asked the local public organization to provide volunteers who could distribute food and to oversee in bringing order to the place.
It was all going so well. Free meals were offered not only the needy but also to “spectators” passers-by with surprise asked who had organized it and how they could help with the project.
The main newspaper of the city wrote a report about the free feeding of the needy by the sellers of the market. Soon, Lyudmila began to call sellers from other markets and find out how they can also organize such an event.
Remember, it all started with the question: “How can I help the poor?” Then came the idea, and some people had the money that would support her dream. It was not so difficult to realize what she planned, although Lyudmila had to do her homework. The truth was that the resources were somewhere; they just had to be found and combined into one.
This story proves once again that any dream is achievable and it is not so difficult to find the MONEY FOR THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT. The problem for many of us is that we sit and wait until all we need is “placed” into our laps. And this is a huge mistake. You cannot sit; you must act.
“It’s impossible!” – said Reasoning. “This is recklessness!” – said Experience. “It’s useless!” – Pride says. “Try it …” – the Dream whispered. “Let’s try. Sri Aurobindo, an Indian philosopher, showed an amazing thought: “If you have a great goal, and your opportunities are limited, do it anyway, for only through the action your opportunities can increase.
The statement by Bazil Walsh pushes us to action. “You cannot stop at the idea or on a dream level. It is necessary to act. Only actions will give the result.”
“Having an idea” is not equal to a “product.” It’s like if I really want to drink hot tea, I can see the tea bag in the packet but to drink the tea, I need to make some efforts: get up and take the tea bag from the packet. But even after that, the tea will not miraculously appear. Then I need to find a cup, a spoon, boil the water, place the tea bag in a cup, pour into the cup the hot water, add the sugar – and then I finally can enjoy the tea.
The pathway from an idea to the shelf in the supermarket is called the manufacturing process or the process of production. The quality of the product is decided precisely by the production process. If you do not put anything into the idea, if you do not work on it, it will be cheap, and no one would need it. The production process is a process that turns your idea into a product that is in demand. So, the finished product is determined by the production process. Learn to build this process, and you will successful “achieve” any dream.
Always Start to Work with Your Mind Before Working with Your Hands
This point is very important. Often times our greatest limitations exist only in our minds. But if we work on our mind, we will be able to see many ways and opportunities to realize what we have planned. There is nothing difficult if proper preparation is done. Preparation determines everything. Preparation is the womb of success. To have a complete victory, it is necessary to prepare for it qualitatively. Whether you meet failure or victory on the way to a dream, you determine your outcome through actions and careful preparation. If you can solve the problem in your mind, consider the problem solved. Because you only need to perform a sequence of actions that will lead you to a predictable result.
Preparation helps us to embrace opportunities when they appear. Opportunities make us worthy of tomorrow’s chances. If we are not prepared today, then we will not be able to take advantage of the opportunities that will open before closed doors in the fulfillment of our dreams.
To be continued Tomorrow, don’t miss it.
Excerpts from the Book “HOW TO FIND MONEY FOR YOUR DREAM”. #DSABOOKS
This book can be found on dsabooksplanet.com and Amazon.com
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHURCH AND NATION
By Pastor Sunday Adelaja.
