The Big Idea: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True, From the Aha Moment to Your First Million

THE BIG IDEA: HOW TO MAKE YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL DREAMS COME TRUE, FROM THE AHA MOMENT TO YOUR FIRST MILLION (2009)......Page 1
Contents......Page 7
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Part 1: What's The Big Idea?......Page 14
01: Calling All Dreamers......Page 15
Who Am I to Talk?......Page 17
Love Is the Answer......Page 21
Listen to the Little Voice......Page 24
An Act of Life......Page 26
My Promise to You......Page 28
02: No Experience Necessary......Page 30
What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You......Page 31
Big Idea Lesson......Page 32
Everybody Loves an Underdog......Page 33
Fake It Till You Make It......Page 34
From Battlefield to Boardroom......Page 35
Your Lucky Napkin......Page 36
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: BEGINNER'S ROAD MAP......Page 38
The World Is Your Classroom......Page 39
DONNY'S DO: YOUR SMART TEAM......Page 40
03: Why Make Someone Else Rich?......Page 41
The Soul of an Entrepreneur......Page 43
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: ENTREPRENEUR'S BOOKSHELF......Page 45
When to Say "I'm Outta Here!"......Page 46
Big Idea Lesson......Page 47
3. Nothing to Lose......Page 48
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: LEARN THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ROPES......Page 49
DONNY'S DO: CONTROL, ALT, DELETE......Page 50
Hold Your Nose and Jump......Page 51
The Art of Bliss......Page 52
Big Idea Lesson......Page 54
Big Idea Lesson......Page 55
Big Idea Lesson......Page 56
The Power of Nostalgia......Page 57
DONNY'S DO: LOVER'S LEAP......Page 58
Part 2: There Are No Geniuses......Page 60
05: There's Gotta Be a Better Way......Page 61
Feel the Need......Page 62
TAKE ACTION ON YOUR DREAMS FROM START-UP NATION'S RICHAND JEFF SLOAN......Page 64
Five Steps to a Better Way......Page 65
Big Idea Lesson......Page 66
2. Own It.......Page 67
PROTECT YOUR BIG IDEA......Page 69
3. Make It.......Page 70
4. Wear It.......Page 71
Big Idea Lesson......Page 72
5. Sell It.......Page 74
DONNY'S DO: THE INSTANT GRAB......Page 75
A Moment of Clarity......Page 77
Big Idea Lesson......Page 78
A New Twist......Page 79
Big Idea Lesson......Page 80
Big Idea Lesson......Page 82
A Future Vision......Page 83
THE NAME......Page 84
NAMES THAT NAIL IT......Page 85
THE PACKAGE......Page 86
THE PRICE......Page 87
THE BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: GET-IT-RIGHT RESOURCES......Page 88
DONNY'S DO: FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS......Page 89
07: Break Out of the Box......Page 90
The Five Qualities of an Innovator......Page 91
Quality 2: Innovators don't care that it's never been done. In fact, they love it. "It's never been done" has got to rank up......Page 92
Big Idea Lesson......Page 93
Quality 4: Innovators are champions of individuality.......Page 94
Quality 5: Innovators are disruptive. Innovators will challengee veryday assumptions.......Page 95
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: RESOURCES FOR INVENTORS......Page 96
DONNY'S DO: HOME-GROWN INNOVATION......Page 97
08: Change the World with a Simple Idea......Page 98
Do-Gooder Nation......Page 100
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS......Page 101
DONNY'S DO: TAKE ON THE WORLD......Page 102
Part 3: No Is Not an Option......Page 104
09: Why NOT Me?......Page 105
The Entitlement Exercise......Page 107
Success Is a Democracy......Page 109
THE AMERICAN DREAM SELF-SABOTAGE TEST......Page 111
Bypass the Pecking Order......Page 112
WHO ... ME?......Page 113
10: The Gut Check Moment......Page 115
The Comeback Kids......Page 117
Big Idea Lesson:......Page 120
A Life-and-Death Gut Check......Page 121
Be Fearless......Page 122
Big Idea Lesson......Page 123
DONNY'S DO: EMBRACE YOUR BUTTERFLIES......Page 124
11: They Told Me I'd Never Make It......Page 125
Hold the Obituary......Page 126
Big Idea Lesson......Page 127
The Best Revenge Is Making Millions......Page 128
DO YOU HAVE MILLIONAIRE POTENTIAL? TAKE CYNTHIA GOOD'S QUIZ......Page 129
2. Dig Beneath the NO.......Page 130
DONNY'S DO: THE COLD CALL......Page 131
Launching from the Bottom......Page 132
Start with What You Know......Page 133
Take the Down Staircase Up......Page 134
Dani success strategies......Page 135
DONNY'S DO: THE BOTTOMLESS PIT OF POSSIBILITY......Page 136
13: Who Said It Was Too Late?......Page 137
Midlife Crisis = Opportunity......Page 138
Riches to Rags and Back Again......Page 140
What's Your Second Life Story?......Page 141
3. You're Free to Invent.......Page 142
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: RESOURCES FOR SECOND LIFERS......Page 143
DONNY'S DO: TEAR OFF THE REARVIEW MIRROR......Page 144
Part 4: Getting to Your First Million......Page 145
The $200 Windfall......Page 146
Start a Business with $500......Page 148
Big Idea Lesson......Page 149
Don't Go for the Gold......Page 150
1. Claim the Spotlight.......Page 152
2. Put a Stake in the Ground.......Page 153
3. Use Technology to Leap Ahead.......Page 154
4. Team Up, Not Down.......Page 155
DONNY'S DO: BE MARKET SAVVY, NOT MARKET SHY......Page 156
Mothers of Invention......Page 157
Big Idea Lesson......Page 159
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: RESOURCES FOR MOMPRENEURS......Page 160
Moms Together......Page 161
The Mommy Millionaire......Page 162
DONNY'S DO: KITCHEN TABLE WISDOM......Page 163
16: All in the Family......Page 165
Big Idea Lesson......Page 166
Big Idea Lesson......Page 167
Ancestral Secrets......Page 168
Big Idea Lesson......Page 169
Boss, Mentor, Mom......Page 170
Family First, Then the World......Page 171
The New Family Business Model......Page 172
FIVE KEYS TO A HAPPY FAMILY BUSINESS......Page 173
DONNY'S DO: EXPRESS YOUR PRIDE......Page 174
17: People to People......Page 175
Big Idea Lesson......Page 176
What's Your Story?......Page 177
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: FREE PUBLICITY RESOURCES......Page 178
It's Not About the Clothes......Page 179
Become a Household Name......Page 180
Build Your Network......Page 181
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: NETWORKING RESOURCES......Page 182
When in Doubt, Throw a Party......Page 183
DONNY'S DO: IT'S THE PEOPLE, STUPID......Page 184
Part 5: Breaking Down the Roadblocks......Page 186
18: Dollars and Sense......Page 187
How Much Do You Want It?......Page 188
The Best Money a Big Idea Can Buy......Page 189
2. Borrow from Family and Friends.......Page 190
4. Apply for a Small Business Loan.......Page 191
6. Find an Angel.......Page 192
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: RESOURCES FOR FUNDING......Page 193
DONNY'S DO: GET IT FOR NOTHING......Page 195
19: Perfect Pitch......Page 196
Big Idea Lesson......Page 197
The Art of Self-Branding......Page 198
Winning Hearts and Minds......Page 199
Take It Away!......Page 200
KNOCKING ON HEAVEN'S DOOR: AMILYA ANTONETTI ON GETTING PAST THE SWITCHBOARD......Page 201
The Elevator Pitch......Page 202
Qve: The Big Pitch......Page 204
Big Idea Lesson......Page 205
DONNY'S DO: NOTHING IS SACRED......Page 206
BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: TACKLING THE TRADE SHOW......Page 207
The Road to CES......Page 208
BUG LABS......Page 210
Big Idea Lesson......Page 211
STAND UP AND STAND OUT......Page 212
GOING IN . ........Page 213
THE AFTER-PARTY .........Page 214
DONNY'S DO: COMPETITION, WHAT COMPETITION?......Page 215
21: The Hungry Millionaire......Page 216
The Competitive Edge......Page 217
Growing, Growing, Gone!......Page 218
RAMON RAY'S TECHNOLOGY RULES TO GROW BY......Page 220
The Hoopla Factor......Page 222
DONNY'S DO: DON'T FORGET YOUR FIRST LOVE......Page 224
Conclusion: This Is the Big Idea......Page 225
Appendix A: YOUR BIG IDEA BLUEPRINT: A TWELVE-STEP ROAD MAP TO LAUNCHING YOUR BUSINESS......Page 227
Appendix B: THE BIG IDEA TOOLBOX: A RESOURCE GUIDE FROM MIND TO MARKET......Page 232
Appendix C: THE BIG IDEA COMMUNITY......Page 241
Index......Page 247