We’ve all had great ideas and things that we wish we could have done, but for one reason or another, we never get around to making them happen. In this short article, I want to share with you seven simple pointers to help you step up to the plate and start making your ideas a reality.

1. Make it work on paper – Your first action should always be to sit down and make your plan a reality on paper. Run the numbers and check that your genius idea makes commercial sense. Understand what the numbers look like and be confident that you can achieve the number of customers you require.

2. Tell the world – Once you’re set on your idea, you should start telling as many people as possible. Telling people not only promotes your new idea, but also holds you accountable. The more people you tell, the more likely you are to make it happen.

3. Sell it first – Instead of spending ages designing and perfecting your plans, your first step should always be to acquire some customers. Only once you have a customer are you really in business.

4. Perfection is overrated – Just getting started is the hardest part, so instead of perfecting your idea before taking it to market, get it to a point where it’s fit for purpose and then continue to develop it in real time.

5. Plan and review – Plan out regular checkpoints to monitor progress and design your next actions.

6. Accept failure – On the road to every great success are countless failures. Accept that while you work to succeed, you’ll make many mistakes. What’s important is that you continue to learn from them.

7. Keep moving forward – Momentum is an essential quality in growing any business. Set your goal at the beginning, make it clear and then keep striving toward it.

That’s my simple summary of how to take your idea and make it a reality. Remember that nothing happens unless you make it happen.