My Idea Basket

I get ideas for new business ALL the time. I also hate when I have a great idea only to forget it immediately. So I've adopted a new documentation strategy. If I am out and out I add them to a list in my Blackberry Notes section. If I am near my computer I add them to my "New Business Ideas" list in Evernote. (If you do not use Evernote...check it out!) My third and favorite is the traditional pen and paper. I have a special sketch book in which I record my favorite business ideas and elaborate on them. I use Sharpie pens since they are my favorite and, being a hybrid between a pen and a Sharpie marker, they are semi-permanent so they make my ideas seem more important. I always buy the 9.5in x 6in ones (not too big not too small) and without lines (since they are distracting and inhibit creativity).

Occasionally I peruse the pages of this notebook only to discover hidden gems of ideas I forgot I came up with! It is always fun to revisit these and add additional ideas or little doodles to them. Sometimes I cross out ideas that really aren't feasible or fun anymore...I am constantly re-evaluating my idea basket looking for the healthiest and longest-lasting eggs of the bunch. Sometimes two great ideas meld together or build on each other, so it really is important to write them down (or you run the risk of losing them forever). Take your notebook out again when your creative juices are flowing.

Today I discovered a great business plan competition sponsored by Entrepreneur Magazine, with a college student category. I knew I had to give it a shot! I love competitions like this, and the prizes were very enticing. But...one problem...applications were due today!

No worries. I knew I would arrive home and promptly take out my journal and search for the business idea most compatible with the contest, and easy to explain as I did not have much time. Here is what I came up with:

After reading about NYC's campaign to stigmatize soda "Made to Stick: The Birth of a Sticky Idea" (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/144/made-to-stick-the-birth-of-a-sticky-idea.html) I could not help but try to quantify the number of high school students who drink soda...for breakfast! As a health-conscious person, this urkes me. Upon further inspection I find that many of these morning drinkers need their fix to "wake up" and stay awake during their early classes. Now a junior in college, many fellow students a) don't schedule morning classes or b) drink obscene amounts of coffee (I fall into the later category). Many high school students do not drink coffee and many do not get into the habit until they find themselves preparing for freshman finals week. So...how do we kick the soda habit while keeping teens awake and healthy?

Good Morning Sunshine! brand energy vitamins. Rather than chugging an expensive (and heart unhealthy) Red Bull or Mountain Dew, teens can start their day with a fun blue energy gel capsule (the size of a gummy bear) that includes all the health benefits of a traditional vitamin plus a healthy dose of caffeine to keep them keen during those 8am classes.

These vitamins are fun (creative branding with bright yellow & blue packaging...child-proof lid), easy (one a day...every morning with breakfast...tasteless) and gets rid of morning grog before the bell rings! Teens already love Vitamin Water...but this option is cost effective, sugar-free and can help relieve the caffeinated beverage crutch once and for all. (Not to mention the added health benefits of traditional vitamins that young adults are failing to receive).

So...what do you think of my elevator pitch? Do you think it can really help teens to "kick the can?"