Idea Consulting

Megan M. is currently accepting idea consulting work for 2010. If you haven’t worked with her before, email Megan with details and we’ll see if we can help.

What the hell is an Idea Consultant?

Honestly? It’s a made-up job title that lets us do whatever the hell we have to do to help someone out. Usually, this means brainstorming, hand-holding, and some serious blueprinting work when it’s time to put the pieces of a plan together.

As Ideaschema’s in-house adventurer and catalyst, Megan M. does the idea consulting around here. Here’s a little bit about her process…

What’s the situation? The first thing we do is get all the details of the situation at hand. This varies widely, but in every case a brain dump is the best policy. Where am I at? What’s going on? What challenges and obstacles am I coming up against? What skills and resources and assets do I have to draw on? What do I ultimately want to happen in the end? What is the most fantastic outcome I can imagine?

Where are the rough edges and missing pieces? What parts of my situation are confusing or unclear? Where are there personal issues that might be keeping me from doing something that otherwise seems obvious? Are there any resources that would present a solution very easily, if I could get my hands on them? Am I holding myself back in particular ways? Is there a simple path to be taken if we make one little tweak here… or is the path a long windy one that we’ll have to take step by step over time?

Brainstorming and idea generation: This is where we smooth the rough edges and see what we can do about filling in the missing pieces with what we already have — and figure out how we can get the ones we don’t have. This is also where we look for alternatives to the solutions we assume we need right now, because most circumstances aren’t quite as they appear from the outset. How do I think I have to solve this problem… and how would I love to solve this problem, if there weren’t any limits on my ability to do so? Start from the end point (what we want) and figure out how to draw a map back to the beginning point (where we’re at right now).

Finding the best bits for the project at hand: Many of our brainstorming bits and pieces will be not-quite-right for the job — but many of them will fall into place all by themselves. We sort through what we have and see if we come up with more, until we have what seems like a whole box of puzzle pieces (or a chess set). We set aside the stuff we aren’t going to use for now… and we focus on what we’ve got in front of us.

Resources, next steps, and the blueprint: Now it’s time to organize and make a plan. Which pieces are in play right now? Which do we save for later? Are there pieces that require specific kinds of implementation (like building a WordPress blog or hiring a designer for paper materials)? Are there pieces that come with a learning curve for us to climb before we can tackle them? We take everything we’ve generated and lay it out into a new blueprint for the project — all our resources, all our next steps, and the clear path that will get us to where we want to be.

Taking action: Then we decide to get the damn thing done.

Action is the most important part of this process, and in this case it’s probably going to be you taking action — so remember that this is essential. You are the catalyst, and you are the person to make great things happen for your life and your work.

If you’re looking for a hands-on catalyst to help you out, we might be able to provide some assistance. Remember: Any project begins and ends with you. You’re the anchor for your ideas, no matter who is doing the work. Ultimately, the success of your project depends on your determination to see it through.

How Can I Hire You?

First, email me with your question, problem, or situation. I’ll let you know how I can help, and we’ll get moving.

If you like instead, you can go ahead and purchase solutions right away.

If you haven’t worked with me before, you should decide first if this is what you need (and I won’t be offended if it isn’t).

If you’re sure we’re a good fit, drop me a note or buy your piece of the process.

Questions! Ask ‘em.

Got questions about me, my process, or anything else you can think of? Check out this page for answers — or email me if what you want isn’t already listed there.

Heartfelt Recommendations

Bob Poole
Sales & Marketing Guru

“When I heard that Megan was starting a service offering idea creation and consulting, I was elated! Megan is one of the most creative people I have had the pleasure of knowing in my 40 years in business. For example, she has helped me successfully launch a new book and also generate a number of money-making ideas for my company. Recently, Megan offered me an idea that is changing the way I currently market part of my business and will lead to a brand new service in the coming months.

“She’s a genius at seeing the big picture and being able to take situations that seem extraordinarily complicated and make them extraordinarily simple. If you’re looking for a collaborator who will always give you a solid return on your investment, you can’t go wrong with Megan Elizabeth Morris.”

Kyeli Smith
Edgewalker and Co-Leader of the Freak Revolution

Excerpt from Kyeli’s recommendation post for That Idea Blueprint Girl:

“Megan helps me think outside the box. She reminds me to look for alternate solutions, helps me find alternate solutions. [...]

“Her ideas are far more fun, entertaining, and interesting than anything you’ll ever find in any book, thought up by an intelligent, witty, clever woman with an exceptional mind, sharp perception, and the ability to see all 20 sides of a icosahedron at once (and who will color all 20 sides a different awesome color). She adds cohesion to a scattered mess, brings light to those dark times when your brain won’t think.

“She can create blueprints that will illustrate what you’ve missed and show you new and exciting ways of doing what you haven’t.”

Martin Whitmore
Evil Illustrator Extraordinaire

“A couple years ago, I probably would have been happy to find myself an average, meaningless job and toil away into obscurity, doing a little bit of artwork on the side to maintain a creative outlet. Now that Megan has shown me what I’m actually capable of (and how much more I will be capable of if I keep pushing myself), there’s no way I’m going to stop until I’m making artwork for a living and loving every minute of it!”