what is your thing? part 2 | the little biz brainstorm

so last time we started a brainstorm to find all the possible things you love, know, make, do, are good at, interested in, passionate about etc. i hope you really filled your list with every possibility no matter how mundane, silly, or random it might be - these are the things that make you you, and you never know where the seed of an idea could hide!

take a look over that list. did any of those things really resonate? do any of them feel like they could be the thing? does something seem to have potential? does your mind keep going back to an idea? does one of them seem keep niggling in your mind? highlight or circle all of those things.

ok, now you need to add to your brainstorm:  

what can you do with that circled thing?

can you make it standout, be unique or exceptional?

can you become an expert at that thing?

can you do it in a way that others arent't right now?

can you focus it to work for a specific group of people?

can you adapt it so that it fills a need or a want for people?

can you combine a couple of passions to do something really unique or great?

can you use your knowledge/interest/passion/gift to do a job for someone else?

can you turn it into something you could market and sell?

so at this point in my post, my plan was to give some examples of some really cool ideas. but every example i thought of felt really lame. then i thought i would put up my own brainstorm for you to see, but leave out the photo/biz stuff i already do. but that list seemed really lame as well. then i realized, of course those ideas feel lame, they are not my ideas! they aren't my thing!

the thing is, if you are going to do something as a business, even if it is a really tiny business like mine, then you have to really be in love with that thing. you have to be fired up and passionate and excited and inspired. if you are a stay-at-home mum like me, or have a full time job and want to do something on the side, then you aren't going to have the energy or time to spend on a lame idea, just because it's there on your page.  

this brainstorm is NOT meant to help you come up with any old idea that you can turn into a business. it is meant to help you find your THING. that one thing that gets you excited about growing your own little biz. so ignore the ideas that feel lame to you and focus on the one that you are really drawn to. that's the one you want to focus this part of the brainstorm on!

now, if you are having troubles with this part of the brainstorm and don't know how to answer those questions above, then please email or message me. i can get excited about it with you and help you find a way to do something with your thing. i love chatting about little biz ideas so i'd love to help =)

what is your thing? | the little biz brainstorm

my photography sessions generally involve new mums, stay-at-home mums, mums just going back to work, or mums trying to balance their jobs with time at home. and i hear the same thing quite often from these mums: "wow, it is really cool that you started your own business / can do this from home / can do something you love.  i wish i could do that."  

well i am here to say "go for it!".  seriously, if i can do this, anyone can! (you can read about how i finally got going here.) obviously not everyone is going to start a photography business.  so what could you do? what's your thing? take out a piece of paper and start brainstorming.

what do you love? what is your passion? what are your hobbies? what are you good at? what do your friends ask you to do all the time? what do you know a lot about? what did you do before? what have you always wanted to do?

do you make something? 

jewellery. cards. scrapbooks. clothes. artwork. pottery. children's stories. baby blankets. hair accessories. photo slideshows. toys. handbags. hats. games. knitted items. cupcakes. birthday cakes. 

do you do something? 

photography. cleaning. gardening. accounting. play an instrument. act. dance. sing. paint. speak a foreign language. entertain kids. plan parties. bake. cook. play a sport. train pets. arrange flowers. style hair. style clothes. collect vintage clothes. buy and sell stuff on ebay.

do you know something? 

how to... build a website. make a youtube video. find great deals on travel. set up an ebay store. feng shui a house. organize and declutter a house. sell a house. fix a car. shop for a car. shop for a bra. kick ass in a job interview. 

by the way, your thing might fall into more than one catagory.  within my business i make things, do things and know things.  doesn't matter.  you are just brainstorming, so fill up your whole page.  don't leave anything off and don't cross anything out.  you never know what might be the thing!  

and if you have somethings to add to my little list here - please do! add a comment below. it might not be your thing, but it might ring a bell for someone else!  =)

i have started a group on facebook where those of us who are thinking about/wanting to/trying to start up a little biz can chat and share ideas.  please come join us there!

just go for it already | build your own little business

i have a really little children's photography business. just me and my home studio set up in the rumpus room out back. i started my biz about 3 years ago and in the last year have immersed myself in the world of learning about running a little biz: branding, marketing, pricing, social networking, blogging, copy writing, website design, search engine optimization, and more! 

i find myself sharing more and more of what i have been learning with others, trying to help and encourage people who are interested in starting their own little biz. i have been writing a bit about the biz stuff on my photography blog as well. a couple of weeks ago i wrote i post called 'just go for it already'. i have been doing this fantastic course called question the rules by johnny b truant and lee stranahan and had just finished listening to a section on the punk rock DIY minset in which johnny suggests you just learn to fly the plane while flying it. awesome. i was so inspired i had to write a blog post about it hoping to inspire others.

in the mean time i have been thinking that maybe i could try helping people with their little biz ideas in a more concrete way. get a website started, maybe a forum or discussion board, maybe even offering my help with logo design, creating flyers and business cards etc. but then i shake my head and think: you can't do that! you haven't been doing this very long. you don't have a site set up or a name or a logo or anything. you don't even know what people need from you yet. you aren't ready for this! and another week goes by where i haven't done anything about my ideas. 

it ocurred to me that i am encouraging others to just go for it already yet i am not doing that myself! what the hell? time to talk the talk sister! so here it goes. i am going to learn to fly this plane as i am flying it. as i share tools and resources that will help others get their ideas off the ground i am going to do be doing the same for myself.

i am by no means an expert but i have certainly found some fantastic sites and resources and people that i have learnt so much from. i am going to share those resources with you. and wherever possible i am going to offer any help i can. perhaps you all can do the same - i would love to create a community where we can help each other build a little biz! =)