Some tips on how to come up with a great business idea.

1. How To Come
Up With A
Great Business
Idea

2. At the heart of every successful business is a
successful business idea. And a successful
business idea comes from a great idea.
Some business ideas seem so simple we wonder
why we didn’t come up with them…
whilst others are just so different that no amount of
imagination on our part could have figured out how
to do/invent it!
But these great ideas don’t come just because we
demand them too.
They come from inspiration and perspiration… it’s
about implementing the ideas you have to ensure
they become a tangible reality.

3. During my time as a Start­Up Mentor and since
launching The Corporate Escape Programme™ I
have worked with hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs
with hundreds of business ideas. Today I share with
you how many of them came about.
1. Look At What Drives You Mad!
Ideas for start­ups often come from something
that has really driven someone mad. It comes
from either a problem that needs to be solved or
something that just isn’t right and needs
changing.
The Corporate Escape Programme™ came
into fruition because I had been on many
programmes previously and I felt that I needed
more support and a deeper curriculum.
Also, there was nothing available to me when I
left the corporate world to help me set up my
own business with confidence and a plan… so
voila, The Corporate Escape Programme™
was born.

4. The massive mistake I made when I first set up my
business is I tried to create a business that I thought
the world wanted… but all I created was more white
noise in the marketplace.
It took me five years before I found my business sweet
spot, it was under my nose all along, I just didn’t know
it.
2. Take Massive Action
Perhaps it’s not the idea itself that makes a successful
business idea, but the person behind it. Drive is
essential for start­up success; it’s the willingness to try
(and keep trying) to turn their ideas into a reality.
Entrepreneurial success comes from consistent action
on each new idea and spark that you conceive… of
course, you will fail with some ideas, but from every
failure comes a lesson…
and each lesson will help your business grow. Only
through action comes clarity.

5. 3. Believe In Yourself, Don’t Listen to Nay
Sayers.
It was funny, 3 years ago I wrote a ‘pitch’ that basically
outlined The Corporate Escape Programme™, yet I
didn’t use that terminology.
My mentor/coach at that time suggested that
specialising and working with start­up businesses
would not be fruitful to me and to find a more profitable
niche.
So I followed his advice. This actually meant 2 years of
creating the wrong business, as it wasn’t aligned with
my true passion and purpose.
Once I started to believe in myself I realised that all I
wanted to do was help people leave a job they hated
and start a business doing what they love.
There are people out there who will talk you out of
your great idea – my advice to you is don’t listen. If
there is a need for what you want to bring into this
world then go for it, ignore the naysayers… it will cost
you dearly if you don’t!

6. 4. Let Your Subconscious Do The Work.
My subconscious told me all along what kind of
business I should be running, and my purpose in life.
But I ignored it. To my own detriment.
To tap into your subconscious I would suggest that
you actually don’t focus on trying to find a business,
but let your mind wander and find it for you.
All of my great ideas come whilst sitting in the bath
of an evening, relaxing from a busy day… By totally
switching off and not thinking about work, my mind
wanders and comes up with ideas…
The Corporate Escape Programme™ came to me
during one of these times… when I was not thinking
about work at all…
The subconscious mind works in the background at
all times, so take a break and let the creativity flow:
whilst you are walking the dog, at the gym or
enjoying a trip to the seaside… whilst you are out
doing nothing your mind may very well solve the
problem that you are trying to solve or spark a
solution to a problem you hadn’t considered before.

7. 5. Search For A Better Way
As you go about your daily life, always look for a better
way of doing things… Those who innovate constantly
ask ‘Is there a better way?’ and you would be surprised
that often the answer is ‘yes’.
Just like some of the programmes and courses I
experienced, I found myself screaming that there must
be a better way, and this plays a huge part in the way I
coach with my clients and also run my online and offline
group programmes… there was a better way…
6. Think Big
I have a few favorite sayings… ‘Think Big or Go
Home’ is one of them… you will be surprised at the
number of businesses that do not work because the
business owner thinks too small.
There are opportunities to make a huge impact on the
world if you think big enough.

8. If you are the kind of person that wants to make the
world a better place then think how you can do this…
don’t limit yourself to helping a few, think how you can
help the masses…
And as you think big, think how you can fail as quickly
as you can, remember the more mistakes you make the
faster you will learn…
And pivot quickly… when you make a mistake and fail,
pivot what you are doing to find a different tact.
Most successful companies now exist in an entirely
different form to how they started… A great business
idea will come to you when you realise you are moving
in the wrong direction and are missing a larger
opportunity…
7. Watch New Businesses That You Can
Invest In/Work At…

9. If you can find a business that is growing rapidly, is a
market leader and trading in a market that is growing
at 10% year on year – jump on board…
Investing in such a business, or working in such a
business and becoming a key person will enable you
to be part of a Star Business Venture. And when you
are part of a star business your opportunity for wealth
and success is pretty much guaranteed.
8. Don’t Reinvent The Wheel.
I often find people wanting to start their own
business and are scared because all their ideas
have been done already… But if you look to the past
for inspiration you could find yourself coming up
with a business idea that has been long forgotten, or
that just needs tweaking.
In the mid­’90s, some beer enthusiasts and experts
called Sam Calagione heretics for brewing beers with
ingredients outside of the “traditional” water, yeast, hops
and barley.

10. They now make a whole series of Ancient Ales inspired
by historic and molecular evidence found in tombs and
dig sites.
They didn’t reinvent the wheel, they just look to history
for inspiration.
And Finally, What Not To Do…
Don’t create a business the same as someone else’s,
think different and be unique. You won’t get far
copying someone else’s idea so tap into your dreams
and what makes you tick.
Don’t look at the market and see what is trending
and decide to just launch a business to serve the
missing need… being an entrepreneur is hard work,
the 4 Hour Work Week takes years to master…
Think different and be different… You will probably
find your business idea comes from YOUR story,
and what you believe in…