Every great business starts with (and runs on) great ideas. While ideas are everywhere, the truly great ones — the ones destined to grow and develop into successful ventures — are as rare as precious gold and silver. So, if you’re looking to start or build a profitable business, the first and most important challenge you must grapple with is where and how to find your great idea…
Is it a passive process of sitting around and waiting for that “light bulb” moment?
Or can you work to actively speed its arrival?
I believe finding your next great idea is as simple as mining the past for your deepest passions and opening your eyes to the present opportunities around you.
Let me explain with a story: When I was very young, my grandmother introduced me to fashion design. She made me see creative art and fashion through her eyes. It eventually became a way to share and hold onto the history that makes us who we are and informs who we will become. I found my individuality and unique approach to expressing myself. I designed a ring for my 25th birthday. The ring said a life story and was one of a kind. There was a cut out of a star through the center of a pyramid of pave diamonds. This symbolized more than my Egyptian side of the family, more than my middle name meaning Starlet, it spoke my family history and where I stood in my life.
Fashion brought me and my grandmother closer, giving us a reason to spend time together as we walked through each element of design. Because of her, I learned how to bring raw materials to life, helping to reconstruct vintage clothing and accessories with a fresh, modern perspective. I got lost in the world of adornments, and it was then I determined that I, too, would be a designer.
Thanks to this experience with my grandmother, I chose to pursue a career in fashion. Earning a degree in Business and Product Development from the Fashion Institute of Design Merchandising, I studied everything from textile-sourcing and product development to personal shopping and styling. After graduation, I received an opportunity to take a Trend Forecasting position in footwear with ACI, which ignited a new passion for footwear construction. As a Line Builder at Report/ Topline Footwear, I was given the opportunity to travel overseas, where I became greatly influenced by the landscapes, cultures, and people.
Still, it wasn’t until my honeymoon in Bora Bora that I became inspired by my own great idea. I returned home and began building the Congés brand around the concept of “being on holiday” every day. Striking a chord of personal well-being while also being true to oneself, I developed Congés as a fine jewelry line- perfect for luxury lovers with a conscience. Sourcing crystals from around the world, my passion for commemorating our shared history — yours and mine.
So, now I ask you: where did this great idea come from?
Did it hit suddenly — a seemingly random lightning bolt striking from out of the blue?
I think not.
When I read this story, what I see are the common threads of passion and opportunity weaving themselves together into one tightly-knit finished picture. My interest in fashion and design existed all along, forming a solid foundation on which my own purposeful decisions and the breezes of life’s happenstance occurrences could build a cohesive structure.
This is great news! Because it means that your big “a-ha” moment — your empire-making idea — is right there in front of you. All you have to do is look into your past…
- What consistently inspires you and brings you joy?
- Where do you most love spending your time?
- What moments do you recall most vividly from your past in which you felt fully alive and energized?
- … and start waking up to the opportunities set before you, applying focus where you want to grow.
- What does life want to teach you?
- Where do your dreams and talents seem to be taking you?
- What doors are currently open for you to walk through?
At the intersection of your passions and life’s opportunities — there lies the most fertile ground for your next solid gold idea. It’s a mysterious process, a mystical dance between neutral observation and spirited action. Sure, there are other avenues to find great ideas — they don’t seem to like being boxed in.
But if you’re feeling stuck and tired of waiting for the random lightning bolt to strike, start back at your beginning. It is at the intersection of past and present that we are best able to find our great ideas… and they can find us.
About Congés Fine Jewelry:
Congés is a fine jewelry collection that accentuates the beauty of perspective through the energy of nature and power of thoughts. Striking a chord of personal well-being and evoking a sensation of being one and true to yourself, Congés encourages you to identify your story, select your design and believe in the power. Sustainable and environmentally conscious, Congés Jewelry is made in the heart of Los Angeles with the highest attention to quality and detail. With respect for all materials, Congés only sources its precious metals, jewels and stones from those who have a genuine love for what they do. Primarily never treated, Congés crystals should be appreciated for their unique beauty and value. Inspired by the spirituality of ancient cultures, discover six distinctive collections at CongesLife.com that pay homage to shared heritage: the best-selling Signature and Personalized Signature Collections, the Third-Eye Collection, the Dream Catcher and Native American Collection, the Scarab and Ancient Egypt Collection, and the Journey Collection.
Great ideas truly are everywhere… you just have to know where to look.
