6 Ways To Steal An Idea And Make It Your Own

By Author: Donny Jenkins
Total Articles: 202
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Sometimes the source of inspiration comes from generating fresh ideas from inside, and other times it comes down seeking inspiration externally. Being inspired by others’ ideas is not always bad, as long as you use the motivation as a basis to further develop them to your own ideas to bring your own concepts alive.

6 tips how you can properly steal a concept to make it your own:

Grab from the crowd

Crowdsourcing became one of my favorite causes of inspiration. Social media has opened up direct dialogue between us marketers as well as our customers. What better way to understand what your customers want to see but permit them to take part in the process.

I’ve crowdsourced a large number of projects, ranging from logo and web design on Hatchwise, I've developed viral videos and graphic design using Fiverr, and I’ve generated thousands of pieces of user produced content from social networking contests on platforms like Offerpop.

Think about how your own audience can develop new ideas for your company or help improve existing ones. All you need to perform is ask!

Grab from ...
... your team

Motivate brainstorming and ideation in your team. It’s amazing exactly how collaboration in the exact same room can produce or improve some amazing ideas. I’ve found the key to great thinking comes from:

Keep your periods to a small group where everyone can be heard. 5 or Six people + a white board.
Come with a clear idea of what you’re trying to accomplish. If you don’t have a obvious objective in mind, you’ll hardly ever walk away with what you need.
Think cross-functionally and cross-level. Excellent ideas come from just about all levels and all departments. It’s great to bring your key collaborators to participate in your brainstorming sessions, which will help get their buy-in when trying to execute down the line.
Don’t censor. The first rule of improvisation is actually AGREE, because absolutely nothing kills a picture faster than difference. The same goes for your thinking sessions. Let suggestions flow and allow the actual scene to play away.
Steal from the past

Recycle and refurbish past successes. Additionally look to your previous failures to make sure these people don’t repeat. I’ve seen businesses commit to the same poor ideas. As George Santayana said, “Those who can't remember the past are condemned to replicate it.”

Steal from a blog

I constantly keep a pulse of what’s going on from an array of blogs. My long-term relationship with Google Readers may be coming to a stop, but there are several excellent other tools for following blogs. I’m right now using Feedly on the web and Flipboard on my small iPad to keep up on my small digital news.

Steal from your enemy

Sometimes you learn best from your competition’s mistakes. There’s a great article a friend wrote on the value of monitoring competition, 3 Reasons Why You Should Care About Monitoring Competition that you should check out.

Grab from your mind

Leo has a great line in Inception: I know how to find secrets from your mind, I know all the tricks! The ideas are often already within. Introspection is where I find probably the most inspiration. Taking time out during the day for exercise and private time is the common cure for creative prevent.

Steal from your self-conscious through removing all the idea-blockers inside your day. Dedicate 30-60 minutes a day to yourself. Go for a run. Have a fitness class. Walk outside during your lunch hour. Just do something active. I’ve found when I’m the most physically involved and truly focusing 100% on my effort on the physical activity, I have no energy left to repress ideas and they start pouring out.

And don't forget that the days when you have the most excuses because of not working out are the days you really need it the most!

How do you discover your own inspiration? Depart a comment to let me know and I may steal it from you.

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