Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

Content Ideas are Everywhere

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content-ideasThink you don’t have anything to share? Maybe you don’t think you are enough of an expert to help other people learn. Think again. Your life experiences along with what you are presently learning can make great content. All you need to do is take notice of it, seize it before you lose it, and transform it into an article, blog post or video.

My business model is, “Learn it. Do it. Teach it.” What that means is that I have built a successful business on learning things that I wanted or needed to know, doing them myself, then teaching others what I did right and what I did wrong, and how they can do it right. You can do the same. What attracts your interest and makes you want to learn about it? Learn it, do it yourself, then share what you learned with your audience.

Looking for a quick idea? What mistake did you, one of your clients or one of your colleagues recently make that others can learn from? Everyone likes to hear about other people’s boo-boo’s, and it’s always cheaper and less painful to learn from others’ mistakes rather than our own. So keep your eyes and ears open and you’ll find a ton of content with this idea alone. You may want to change some of the details to protect client confidentiality, but you can easily change a few pieces of identifying information without losing the lesson.
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Blog Post Idea Generators

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idea-generatorsAnyone who has been blogging for a while knows that it can be difficult to come up with interesting, new ideas for posts on a regular basis. Sometimes the ideas flow and other times…not so much.

What can you do when the ideas just don’t come? A lot of people liked the video I did about using the Portent Content Idea Generator, so I decided to share a bunch of other headline and title generators you can use to come up with titles for articles and blog posts.

All of these are free. None require registration or make you jump through any hoops. Just follow any of the links below, enter your topic or keyword and click.
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7 Tips to Stop a Creative Mental Block

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get-past-creative-blockCreativity is a great asset and is essential to the success of any great project. When it’s “on” everyone is happy but when creativity escapes you, it’s time to bring in the big guns. It’s important to realize that everyone goes through this so here are some tips from me to you that will help jumpstart your creativity.

1. Assess the Situation
When you’re struggling creatively, it’s extremely important to take a step back and identify the root of the problem. You can really only find a solution if you know why you’re having the problem.

2. Ask Yourself Questions
I’ve always found that I can work through my problems by asking myself a series of questions from the standpoint of rationality. This will speed up the process of finding the problem and more importantly, finding a solution. The questions could be anything like “what are the 3 factors that are causing this problem?” When you ask these questions, it’s important to answer them honestly, even if you find out the problem lies with you. [Read more…]

Put It to Work

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This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina: What is the Monday Morning Message?

He Conceived An Idea
And Having Conceived It
Put It To Work.

Did you ever create anything of your own? The world is full of imitators, but creators are few and far between.

The conception of an idea is a glorious thing. It is like the birth of a child or the dawn of a new day. Having conceived an idea, it is still more glorious to Put It To WORK.

Are your ideas good enough to earn dividends? .. never, never, never, unless Put To WORK.

Look around you for some great need for accomplishment. Then CREATE an idea to fill that need, and Put It To WORK.

As the Idea Lady I recognize that the greatest value in ideas is not having them it is using them. I can give my clients idea after idea, but if they do not put them to work, the ideas ultimately are not valuable.

Challenge yourself to create original ideas then implement them to put them to work.

Turn Complaints Into Opportunities

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complaintsWhenever you hear anyone (including yourself) complain about something, ask yourself, “What opportunity is hidden within this complaint?”

1.More often than not when anyone complains about anything there’s an opportunity wrapped up in the complaint.

Many businesses were created in response to complaints. People complained that something they wanted was not available, or it was hard to get, or the quality wasn’t up to their standards, or…whatever the complaint, the response can be the creation of a successful new product or service.

2.Listen when other people complain about situations. Make it standard procedure to turn the coin over—see what opportunity is spelled out on the other side.

Ask yourself, “How could this complaint be addressed?” Think about solutions you could offer.

3.Listen when you yourself kick about little “personal” things that get your goat. When you act to correct these annoyances you not only get rid of the bother, but it can touch off a whole new attitude for the constructive handling of all sorts of things that bother you.

How often do you grouse about not being able to find things, or that you can’t make your computer do what you want it to do. A day spent with an organizer could solve the first problem, and a computer class at your local college could resolve your other complaint. A little time invested now could make you much more productive—and stop your complaints!

4.Remember that when we refuse to do anything but complain about things that bother us we perpetuate an endless cycle of frustration.

Are you going to continue to complain about that $#@%^# computer, or are you going to take action?

5.Get things out of your system by crabbing about things first if you must—but then ask yourself, “How can I capitalize on this?”

OK, sometimes we just want to bitch. So do a little complaining. Set a timer, and let yourself whine and moan for seven minutes. Then stop and come up with a solution. (You might find it hard to keep complaining for a full seven minutes when you realize how silly you sound and that your complaining isn’t getting you anywhere.)

6.When something about your work doesn’t suit you, be sure to turn the coin over. Here’s your chance to go to town in an area that you yourself control.

Don’t like your job? Bored with your business? Find ways to challenge yourself and make things more interesting.

7.Remember, there is not just one opportunity on the other side of the coin—there are often several.

In school, we were taught that there is one correct answer to every question. In life, there can be dozens or even hundreds of workable solutions.

The next time you hear yourself or someone else complain, stop and ask, “So what am I going to do about this? Where is the opportunity for me to do something exciting and wonderful?”