As a creative entrepreneur, I always have a million ideas rolling around in my head, and I know I’m so not alone in this! If I followed every idea I came up with in the shower, I’d be financially broke, physically and mentally exhausted, and probably, divorced.
While I may still be in the bootstrapping phase of my current business, and perpetually tired, I do still have a roof over my head and my darling family. How did that work out? Over time, I’ve learned that I need to self-edit and take ideas with a grain of salt.
If you are a perpetual idea machine like I am, I’d love to share the questions I ask myself before I jump on the bright shiny new thingamajig I’m totally loving at the moment.
1. Do I really, really love this sparkly new thing?
There’s a difference between good ideas and stellar ideas. Stellar ideas shake us to our core, they make the world around us look lively and fresh. Good ideas might make us happy, but do we really love them? Not down to the very fiber of our being.
2. Do I need to be the one to bring this idea to fruition?
Am I the one meant to do this? Or is someone else out there already rocking it harder than I ever could? Do I have the means and abilities I need to do this? We have to truly believe in our ability to divide and conquer on our dreams. If we don’t, it’s just not the right path to take on our entrepreneurial journey.
3. Do I have the financial resources to make this a reality?
Despite how much our passions should be the sole purpose of creating and making, money is a necessary detail. And if I don’t have the financial means to do this right now, can I find a way to make that happen and have the ability to actually do that? Whether it’s socking away savings from a day job or seeking funding in creative ways like microloans or crowdfunding, we have to know whether it’s really possible.
4. Do I have the physical time to act on this?
I almost always have a million balls in the air that I’m juggling, so I have to really be honest with myself and ask, can I physically add this to my plate? No amount of love and money can make magic happen, we have to actually be able to ACT and DO.
Last year, I had this AMAZING idea while immersing myself in a thirty day challenge of positivity. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if I created a new line of skincare products that interacted with the consumer by giving them affirmative support. A product line fully devoted to infusing positive energy into the user’s daily routines and life. And what if that brand also made a huge impact on the community, too?
Gratitude Soapery was born very shortly, going from idea to launch in just 45 days. Since the launch in late fall last year, I’ve sold hundreds of bars of soap and infused happiness into the lives of many. Through the commitment to the community, I’ve donated over 1,200 bars of soap to local non-profit organizations here in Kansas City, and taught a handful of free workshops to low income women about using simple kitchen ingredients to replace expensive non-food stamp eligible cleaning products.
Since that initial launch, I’ve realized I needed to re-evaluate my life and start asking myself these question. I had to look at every project under my busy hands and be honest with myself. From Central Soapers Workshop, the annual conference I host for soapmakers, to Modern Soapmaking, my coaching business devoted to serving the skincare industry, to my darling Gratitude Soapery. And I had to self-edit. I had to say I don’t have the time to have my hands in all these cookie jars.
Gratitude Soapery changed my life. It changed my view on the world around me, it has given me brilliant opportunities to make a difference in the lives of so many other people. But… it’s time to let go.
Instead of closing or selling Gratitude Soapery to free up my schedule, I’ve decided to give the gift it gave me, to someone else. On October 1st, I’m going to hand the reins over to someone who can give it the love and devotion it needs. Every piece, from the branding to the custom printed soap boxes, from the formulas to the professional wholesale line sheets & order forms, is going to be handed to someone else to mold and shape into what they dream of, to change the world in their own way.
That someone else could be reading this right now, in fact. Is it you? It could be.
If you think it might be, I’d love for you to come over and learn more about my Give Gratitude project and submit an application for my panel of advisors to consider. And if it’s not right for you, I want you to remember to keep your idea machine in check. Or you’ll end up like I did. 😉
Meet Kenna | Modern Soapmaking
Kenna is an outspoken indie soap & cosmetics formulator, instructor, & saponification to success biz mentor. She’s addicted to caffeine & working at 3 am (because that’s when her three kidlets are asleep!) She owns Modern Soapmaking, and hosts the annual Central Soapers Workshop conference.
[…] (Before Give Gratitude ended, I was offered the opportunity to share with the Oh My Handmade Goodness community, so if you missed that, definitely check out how I came to the conclusion to give away Gratitude Soapery and what questions …) […]