Starting Big- 5 Steps to Making It Real

Some time ago, I went through an exercise from a great article online from Meredith Eisenberg, "The Reverse Funnel - How to Dream BIG and Start Small." It's basically a product development/marketing exercise to get you thinking differently about your products and programs flow.

Long story short, the article recommends that you start with your big dream package, the $50,000 kahuna that people would be willing to pay you... and you have to figure out what you would offer at that price. Then, you work down from there.

I went through this exercise, and I found it fascinating. I'm sure that what I came up with is far different than if I had started the other way around: what's the smallest thing I can offer, and then go up from there.

If I had done that, my growth would have been stunted. I wouldn't have dreamed nearly as big.

Instead, I started big, and whittled down to small.

In your own content creation process, what if you applied the Big-to-Small exercise? What's the biggest thing you can create? Whether it's a high-dollar program like Meredith recommends we start with or a big-dream piece of content (like a book series!), what is that almost-too-big-to-dare-to-dream content you can create?

Here are some BIG ideas:

Book
Book series (I love this idea... it probably comes from my love of epic fantasy novels. I hated it when they ended!)
Book with companion workbook/playbookr
Deck of oracle cardsr
Podcasts
Video training seriesr
Home study product

If you're reading the above and you get a funny feeling in your stomach or you immediately go, "I could never do that!" - it might be a sign that that particular thing is EXACTLY what you should be creating.

So, what do you do?

First, just play with your idea. You're not making any promises, and you're not obligated to anyone for any deliverables. Mind map, outline, bullet, jot down notes, sketch... see what comes out.

Second, let it sit for a while. Even if you're excited by the idea, you don't have to present it to the world tomorrow. Let it marinate a while.

Third, take that seed of an idea out of the marinade and see how you feel about it. Are you still excited? Do you still get butterflies in your stomach? Anything you want to add?

Fourth, get down to business... what do you need to actually make this dream a reality? What resources, in terms of time, money, help, can you bring on to help you?

Fifth, come up with a Content Action Plan to lay out the steps to create your amazing, wonderful, going-to-kick-the-world-in-the-butt content!

What is your big idea that needs a bit of attention? You'll be amazed at where that big idea takes you!

(And the link to Meredith's article: " The Reverse Funnel ")