Common present day mantra de-values the idea for new venture, putting much more emphasis on the execution. While I agree, that does not mean the concept itself is meaningless. Ideas for new ventures, products, etc may hit you at any moment. I’ve found it productive to do my best to capture those.
Going back to 2009, I’ve been capturing most ideas for new products in Evernote. It can be something specific, where I’m taking pictures of wireframes I’ve scribbled down. Or something abstract, the unique positioning of a company. Or not an idea at all – just a question. At the moment, I have 276 notes.
I’ve never found intentional brainstorming to be that helpful in isolation. Rather, it’s going back and reviewing those tiny little sparks of inspiration that can elicit those creative juices.
Contactually was one of those – a random idea scribbled down on May 15th, 2011, that otherwise could have easily been forgotten. And here we are today…
