Turn Random Ideas into Valuable Intellectual Property
A Step-by-Step Guide for Solopreneurs to Harness Their Knowledge and Create Impactful Products
If you're like me, every product that has changed my life in one way or another has given me an insight or an idea framed and expressed in a way that resonates deeply with me.
When I analysed these products, I found that each is based on an intellectual property the author captured sometimes in a book but is often available in other forms.
For instance, one of my most recommended books, apart from my own, is The Four Agreements.
The book revolves around four key themes:
Being impeccable with your word
Not taking anything personally (shhhh, I still take things personally, but don't tell anyone)
Removing assumptions
Doing the best you can at every point
If you agree with these, you can create magic in your life even if you've had years of childhood trauma.
But The Four Agreements is just one of many things the author, Don Miguel Ruiz, knows and teaches.
Don is a neurosurgeon who became a spiritual teacher and the creator of the Toltec Wisdom series.
When I first read the book in 2017 as a newly licenced therapist, it introduced me to ideas I hadn't fully grasped about working with people.
But I digress... The point is this:
That Toltec Wisdom Methodology became the foundation of many books, workshops, retreats, and other products that Don Miguel offers.
Had he not packaged the ideas in his head, he would probably be sitting on all that gold today.
I'm partial to the belief that Don probably didn't sit down to write the book himself.
Janet Mills, his co-author, must have captured and organised Don's years of wisdom into coherent frameworks that can be sold to millions of people.
And that's the thing...
A lot of the solopreneurs I speak with complain that they are not certain how much they know or what gaps exist in their knowledge.
This is something I find with solopreneurs (coaches, trainers, speakers, and consultants) who strive to be as original as possible without becoming echoes of other businesses.
I developed a simple process for transforming random ideas into structured intellectual properties, forming the foundation for all your product creation endeavours.
Before I get into that, take a moment to honestly answer these questions:
What subjects do you know a lot about?
What topics do you want to be selectively popular with?
How do you know that you know what you claim to know?
How can your expertise be differentiated from every other person doing or saying the same things?
With these answers, you can begin to build your intellectual property.
Sort of going from having intellectual curiosity to intellectual power and then intellectual property (and intellectual prosperity... ding!💡)
There’s a huge amount of stuff I know but don’t talk about.
“Why?”
Good that you asked.
Because what we know and what we communicate to others are not the same thing.
We always know more than we communicate, and for those who love research like I do, this gap will keep increasing.
This is where your Personal Knowledge Management comes in.
I read from John C. Maxwell in one of his books many years ago that John keeps a folder of physical notes containing quotes and ideas he finds as he goes about his regular day.
I also heard Bishop David Oyedepo say the same thing about always keeping a note to capture ideas that spring up in his mind at random intervals.
So I began a practice of taking and keeping physical notes.
Today, some of my notes have come with me to the UK, while I left others back in Nigeria, because I rationalised that I've probably outgrown the ideas in them and won't need them.
But there are some notes I can't let go of.
But I digress.
Some years later, I heard Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene say the same thing while listening to some podcasts.
Since then, I've learned that your personal knowledge management is the true backbone of your expertise.
If you don't create, keep, or maintain one, you will have a lot of random ideas that float somewhere beyond you.
And so the first step in turning random ideas into intellectual property is to...
1. Capture your ideas.
This includes flashes of thought and random musings that don't apparently make sense in the moment...
Gleanings from materials you read or videos you watch...
And things that spark excitement in your head and heart.
If you want to capture the sources, that's fine. But be careful and don't end up like me, who used to copy books word for word.
If you're doing this digitally, the best way is to do one idea per note. Or, at most, three ideas.
2. Chunk your ideas into themes and groups.
This step is where the magic begins to happen.
Once you've captured your ideas, the next move is to organise them.
Think of it as gathering puzzle pieces and starting to fit them together.
Start by reviewing all your captured ideas.
Look for patterns and connections.
Which ideas naturally cluster together?
Which themes keep popping up?
Don’t rush this process—take your time to see the big picture.
Imagine you’re curating an exhibit of your thoughts.
Each piece has its place, and together they tell a coherent story.
Maybe you notice a recurring theme about overcoming obstacles like I did with fear back in 2017.
Or perhaps there’s a strong focus on personal leadership, as I spotted in my notes from 2006, which became "Audacity to Lead" in 2013.
Group similar ideas under these broader themes.
For example, when I work with clients, I often find they have a wealth of knowledge scattered across various topics.
By chunking these ideas into themes like ‘leadership,’ ‘mindset,’ or ‘innovation,’ we begin to see a structure emerging.
To give you a practical example: let’s say you have notes on effective communication.
You might chunk these into sub-themes like ‘non-verbal cues,’ ‘active listening,’ and ‘non-violent language.’
Each of these sub-themes can then be expanded into detailed content later.
By chunking your ideas into themes and groups, you create a roadmap for your intellectual property.
It helps you see where your strengths lie and where you might need to research deeper.
It also makes the daunting task of organising your thoughts much more manageable.
And here’s a tip: don’t be afraid to re-chunk your ideas as you go.
As you continue to capture new thoughts and insights, revisit your themes and groups.
This process is dynamic and should evolve with you.
3. Map clusters of themes.
Once you’ve chunked your ideas into themes, the next step is to map out themed clusters.
Think of this as creating a blueprint for your intellectual property.
You’re connecting the dots and seeing how each theme relates to the others.
Take your grouped themes and start drawing connections.
How does one idea feed into another?
Which themes are foundational, and which ones build on top of them?
This mapping process helps you understand the relationships between your ideas and how they can be structured into a cohesive methodology.
For instance, using our previous example on effective communication, you might map out how ‘non-verbal cues’ enhance ‘active listening,’ and how both are crucial for ‘non-violent language.’
This creates a flow that you can later turn into content, courses, or even a book.
When I work with clients, mapping clusters often reveals surprising insights.
It shows them the depth of their knowledge and how interconnected their ideas truly are.
It also highlights any gaps that need to be filled, guiding future research and development.
This step is crucial because it transforms your random thoughts into a structured system.
It’s like creating a skeleton that you’ll flesh out later with detailed content.
Mapping clusters not only clarifies your thinking but also lays the foundation for your intellectual property to grow and evolve.
By chunking your ideas into themes and mapping out the clusters, you move from a scattered collection of thoughts to a structured, strategic framework.
This makes it much easier to develop your ideas into valuable products and services that resonate with your market.
Once you've done these three steps, you’re ready to work on the next three:
Problem: People have problems. You can either cure the symptoms or heal the root cause. This problem could be a past or present one they don't want.
After capturing, chunking, and mapping your ideas, you’ll have a clear understanding of the problems your knowledge addresses.
Whether it's helping people overcome communication barriers or guiding them towards personal leadership growth, identifying the core problems is essential.
You’re now equipped to pinpoint the specific issues that your themes and clusters can solve.
Promise: Connect your intellectual property to a future your market wants.
With a clear map of your themes and the problems they address, you can now articulate your promise.
This is about connecting your message to the future your market desires. This is how you begin to create products people love, talk about, and buy.
How does your unique blend of knowledge and insights lead them to a better place?
Your themes provide the structure, and your promise gives them a compelling reason to engage with your content.
Process: Your unique way of creating results and transformations for your market.
Finally, your mapped clusters and identified problems and promises pave the way for you to outline your process.
This is your unique methodology, your signature approach to delivering results and transformations.
By following the framework you've developed, you can now design a process that is uniquely yours, tailored to solve the problems and fulfil the promises you’ve identified.
With this, you won’t be creating content randomly. You are sure every piece of content is connected to a bigger picture.
So, complete this task over the next few days.
Leave a comment on this newsletter with one action you're going to hold yourself accountable for, so others can support you.
And if you need some hand-holding help, reply to this email, and we can set up a quick chat.
As always, I am Dayo Samuel.
Live courageously.