You probably have business ideas and invitations coming to you weekly.
You may not notice them, but even when you’re in a slump… they’re there.
An idea for a workshop. An invitation to speak. A collaboration. A cool way to work with clients. A person you suddenly feel nudged to reach out to.
But the thing is…
Grand ideas and exciting possibilities don’t automatically put moola in my account.
Neither do random acts of visibility, networking, planning, or creating.
You can be incredibly inspired AND incredibly busy and still wonder why your business isn’t growing the way you want it to.
The missing piece?
Once inspiration strikes, you need intention, planning, and strategy to turn that inspiration into business growth.
Inspiration is the beginning, not the whole plan.
Let’s use speaking as an example.
Over the years, I’ve been invited to speak on podcasts, interviews, summits, trainings, and virtual and in-person events.
When it’s something I can easily do from my house, and the audience is aligned, I’m likely to say yes. I genuinely enjoy this way of delivering my message; it’s easy for me, and I see it as moola coming in, even if the payoff isn’t immediate.
But I don’t just put the date on my calendar, give the interview, and hope somebody eventually hires me.🤞🏼
The minute I say yes, I start thinking about how I can leverage the heck out of it.
This is what my process looks like:
- Decide what you want to talk about
I choose my content based on who will be listening, how much time I have, and what I’m currently focused on in my business.
I don’t randomly choose a topic just because I can teach it.
I want the topic to genuinely help the audience AND naturally connect to the work I want to do more of.
- Decide where you want people to go next
This is where a lot of great opportunities fall flat.
You deliver fantastic content, people love you…and then what?
Before I ever speak, I know what I want an interested person to do next.
Maybe I invite them to a complimentary resource or training. Maybe there’s a natural next step into one of my programs. Sometimes my only goal is to bring them into my world so I can continue the relationship.
Because someone hearing me for the first time may not be ready to work with me immediately.
That’s perfectly fine.
They may read my emails for three months, six months, or three years before the timing is right.
The opportunity doesn’t have to produce immediate moola to be valuable. But it should lead somewhere.
- Create a way to continue the relationship
One interview, conversation, event, or inspired idea doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting.
The magic is often in what happens afterward.
How will you continue the conversation?
How will people hear from you again?
How will you remind them of what they learned and help them take the next step?
I love email for this because it gives me a way to continue delivering value, sharing my perspective, and inviting people deeper into my world.
Instead of treating the event as a one-and-done experience, I turn it into the beginning of a relationship.
- Get intentional about the outcome AND the experience
This is probably the most important piece for me.
Before I move forward with an inspired idea, I get clear about what I want it to create.
More clients?
More visibility?
New relationships?
More people in my community?
Sales of a particular program?
A pathway to something bigger?
I also decide how I want to feel while I’m doing it.
Energized? Spacious? Powerful? Playful? Connected?
Now the idea is no longer some random thing I’m squeezing onto my to-do list. It has a purpose. It fits into the bigger vision for my business.
Don’t create something just because it’s cool.
Years ago, one of my clients gave me the idea to turn my Speed Dial the Universe Journal into an app.
I loved the idea.
But “Ooooh, an app would be cool!” wasn’t enough reason to spend the time, energy, and resources creating one.
Once I decided to pursue it, I started thinking about the bigger picture.
How could the app introduce more people to my work?
What would make it genuinely valuable?
What would make someone want to continue learning from me after using it?
The content, features, tuition,n and even the keywords used to find it were intentional.
Because creating something cool that goes nowhere is just an expensive hobby.
The same is true for almost every inspired idea in your business.
Before you pour your energy into it, ask:
- Why am I doing this?
- What do I want it to create?
- How does it connect to the bigger picture of my business?
- What is the natural next step for someone who loves it?
- How can I leverage this one idea instead of constantly creating the next thing?
And one of my favorite questions:
How can this be easier, more profitable AND more satisfying than I originally imagined?
You don’t need fewer inspired ideas. You need to become more intentional about what happens after inspiration strikes.
Take a look at the ideas, projects, and possibilities you’re excited about right now.
Instead of immediately asking, “What do I need to do?”
Ask yourself:
“How can I turn this inspiration into something that supports the bigger business I want to create?”
That’s when an inspired idea stops being another random act of business…
… and starts becoming a building block for the business that would blow your mind.