“My mom said we could stay with her after the wedding.” Ahhh man… infamous last words. Now, there were certain friends – that will remain nameless – who said, “Do you think it is a good idea to live with the inlaws during the honeymoon phase?” “Do you think it is a good idea to […]

A part of my purpose is bringing communities together. The notion seems honorable. While it is there has been a lot of projects, initiatives, and clients that have so much potential and yet the system of oppression, capitalism and/or an unwillingness to change, to put it simply, can sometimes hold up progress in a way […]

“There goes the neighborhood”, she says. I can hear her voice as we pass a horizontal fence with modern font where the house address is located, silver sconces and a bright colored door to offset the newly renovated house. I can hear her deep (negative) sigh as we pass another neighborhood that is unrecognizable. It […]

Before you take this personally, you need to know that Inc Magazine published an article titled, “Costs of Poor Communication Reach $37 Billion.” Actually, maybe you should take this personally. And before you ask if this is real life, (which it is) read what they wrote: “According to a Holmes (a voice of the global […]

The majority of our projects are from event management + programming clients. According to Wikipedia, event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of large-scale events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, weddings, formal parties, concerts, or conventions. While that is most certainly true, at The Idea, Inc. we specialize in […]

Accountability ac·count·a·bil·i·ty /əˌkoun(t)əˈbilədē/ noun the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility. At The Idea, Inc., we pride ourselves on being able to “get shit done.” We identify as doers. Do-gooders, even. We’re the driving force that spins your ideas into gold. And by gold, we mean good. Real actionable good with real, measurable results. From […]

The Idea, Inc. has four main services: Idea Management Administration Accountability Event Management + Programming Marketing + Communications Campaign We define idea management as the following: Everything begins with an idea. But everything ends with inaction. Our team bridges that gap with research, structure, and a clear path to your goal. And that’s when the […]

I am going to be honest with you. I really love your mission. When we first met a year ago, I thought, “Wow! What an amazing project!” It is a dream come true and they pay us to do the work we do. You were so funny and it was so clear about what you […]

Client storytime! Let me set the scene. Early summer of 2018: The Idea, Inc. met with a company we had been dying to connect with and potentially work with. The company is women-owned and focuses on social responsibility businesses and nonprofits. They were our kind of women. Fast forward to August 2018, we weren’t able […]

The urgency of now pulls at you, doesn’t it? Some of us had a few too many traumatic experiences as a child or young adult or grew up in a way where everything was here and now. It forces you to take life by the balls. In your own way, you want to make an […]

Problem: According to Capterra, “a lack of clear goals is the most common factor (37%) behind project failure, according to executive leaders.” Solution: The client kick-off meeting. Having a client kick-off meeting can make or break the project and provides the opportunity to create goals, boundaries, purpose, roles, and deadlines. Here are 5 tips and […]

First, it’s not healthy.  Second, it’s not productive. Third, yesterday (and last Tuesday of every January) was National Plan A Vacation Day. Storytime: Last week I went to New Orleans for the first time! I had taken off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It was a blast, but I definitely did my “checking in” by deleting […]

It was an old tattered shirt. Dad brought it home after a long day of selling African-American art at a local fair. It said, “If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything.” I was a teenager at the time so easily rolled my eyes at such a statement. I wore it […]

2018 was a rollercoaster, but with all its ups and downs, it has finally come to an end. Here is a list of things we are looking forward to in 2019: The End of Game of Thrones: The final season kicks off on April 14 and if you haven’t seen the teaser trailer…omg: New Clients: Okay, […]

Happy 2019! This year, I am doing an audit. An official inspection of an individual’s accounts – the ‘accounts’ being my life. Here are some questions that I stole from our client agenda meetings at The Idea, Inc, a couple life coaches I know, and the hubs: What worked about last year? What didn’t work? What […]

Beks asked me what resolutions I had for 2019. I immediately said (typed), “None.” I am going to focus on resting this year, but generally speaking, I haven’t had a New Year’s Resolution in 10+ years. I think they are important, however, I get the idea behind them. In fact, marking moments in time when […]

With Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas, Boxing Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa all in December, I urge everyone to remember, Festivus, the holiday for the rest of us. “This December holiday seems comparable to April Fool’s Day, mixed with a 30th birthday party, and then mixed with an ugly Christmas sweater party. It was created (basically) for fun […]

Rebekah wanted me to talk about throwing a Christmas party for your staff, but I think that’s lame. I want to talk about Rebekah. I am a sap. I had an up and down year professionally. It has been said that we learn our greatest lessons through our health, our money/work or our relationships. It […]

When you have happy employees, you have happy customers, and you have a better and happy business. And you know what makes employees happy? Not working on their respective holidays. And let me be crystal clear: I don’t just mean federal holidays. I mean your employees that observe non-christian, international, and holidays-you-may-think-are-obscure-but-actually-aren’t also need holiday time […]

Three weeks ago, I got married to such an incredible man. I love and adore him. We met on eHarmony over 7 years ago, broke up for a year (because men) and then got back together. He asked me to marry him in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower and six months later we […]

In honor of small business Saturday last weekend, we are dedicating this blog post to other small business friends! As a small business – there are just the two of us after all – we totally understand wearing all the hats. And that includes the financial one. How to get started: Step 1: Understand why […]

Rebekah has me writing blogs like an indentured servant. I’m kidding. Sort of. I love writing. One of the reasons I enjoy it is because I get to really explore the part of me that is blunt. And in a world where people can sometimes like you to sugarcoat, this is a good outlet. The […]

FYI: This blog is for people who, like me, live within their means, but remain ignorant about money things. I don’t have debt. Well, rather I didn’t have debt until I married my smarty-pants husband, who owes several thousand for several of his degrees (I’m so glad I married an intellectual 😒). And it is […]

We have selected these ten blogs from our own go-tos and real-life googling, as well as the top ten lists from Health Line, Plush Care, Medical News Today, and The STD Project. Sexual Health Matters: SHM is a not-for-profit organization composed of physicians, researchers, physician assistants, and nurses. They tackle everything from painful intercourse for women to why sex […]

One of our goals is to spark conversations that lead to change in our communities. It isn’t enough to demand harsher gun laws. If it was that easy, many states would not have the rate of mass murder we see today. It is not an easy answer and sometimes we do not even have the […]

My name is Rebekah. I am 24 years old and I am married. I love my husband. But there is a problem with marriage: People hate it. And are SO VOCAL about it. Here are their unsolicited comments (and why I ignored them): “The marriage ceremony is sexist” Um. I got to wear a gorgeous […]

We all carry bias. A lot of us have benefited from our experiences, race, sex and/or family of origin. We feel uncomfortable about admitting those benefits because we also have had our share of hard knocks, dysfunction and let’s just say it…crazy families, that throw us for a loop. I want to admit something that […]

Before you start painting your protest signs and dusting off your megaphones, hear me out. There’s a quote from Anne Klein that says, “Clothes aren’t going to change the world. The women who wear them will.” Similarly, art won’t change the world. The artists/people who believe it can will change the world. Yes, I believe art is […]

48% of baby boomers, 38% of Gen Xers and 30% of millennials prioritize pay over purpose and titles according to a survey done of over 26k LinkedIn members by LinkedIn and Imperative. Initially, I was surprised to hear millennials are the least likely to be guided by a sense of purpose and something greater than […]

Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR is defined as “a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable — to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. By practicing corporate social responsibility, also called corporate citizenship, companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they are having on all aspects of society including economic, social, […]

You know those people who are genuinely in your corner? It is sometimes a best friend, your brother, perhaps your mom or dad, maybe a community leader, but there is always someone in your corner rallying for your success. For a moment, let’s say you are the one fighting for others. Perhaps you are a […]

Today was rough. The work wasn’t more difficult, but my strength and patience to deal with it, was just not there. Tbh, it’s been like this for a couple months now. I’m burned out. What is burnout? According to Psychology Today, burnout is a state of chronic stress that leads to: Physical and emotional exhaustion including chronic […]

I’m funny. Not Redd Foxx funny or even Chris Rock funny, but ironic funny. My-life-is-a-never-ending-sitcom funny. I try to take that humor with me to the stage when I am asked to speak at a business conference or community advocacy event. [cue jazz hands] I also have a flair for the dramatics. I do not […]

One of my besties had a new non-profit land into her lap the other month. Though she is a kick-ass #ladyboss, even she recognized that her team can’t survive with random OneNotes and post-it to-do lists. This is when I came in to save the day (kidding, but not really) with the wisdom and knowledge […]

About a year ago, I was at a meeting for for young leaders who are politically minded. The speaker that night was angry because people who voted for Sanders did not vote for Clinton. As I sat there, I thought about a high school friend who I know had a very hard time voting for […]

True story: Last week I was organizing a short video shoot and set of interviews. It was no big deal, I just had to make sure the venue was set, all the people were available, and everyone knew their role. I thought it was no big deal until the day beforehand, one of my team […]

  3 Tips For Hiring A Grant Writer (Or Not Hiring A Grant Writer): Before I share these “tips”, let me just say everything I am about to share is common sense. It is also what I know to be true given over 10 years of running The Idea, Inc, but also launching over 20 […]

  Community sustainability is important for meeting the long term needs of a neighborhood and its residents. With sustainable practices in place as it relates to economics, infrastructure, and education, a community can manage to support itself with everything it needs, without the help of any outside forces or without worry of finite resources. If […]

This summer, we’ve partnered with the Broward County Junior Sustainability Stewards program to host two interns from a local high school to assist with our social programming with the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale. The intern program focuses on sustainability, whether that be economic, environmental, or, in our case, community sustainability. Here […]

Some people can have a cynical view of holidays. “Valentines Day was created by the greeting card companies.” “Christmas has become capitalistic.” “People aren’t giving back during service holidays like MLK or Veterans Day.” All valid points made by well-meaning folks who I believe look for experiences and, by extension, people to be authentic. We […]

Virtual offices are an increasingly popular workplace environment. As technology continues to allow for work to be done outside of the standard office space, here are some of the most important tools that allow for us to work remotely: Virtual Private Network (VPN)- A VPN allows for you to establish a private secure network on […]

As any entrepreneur will tell you, starting and successfully running a business is tough. Managing your time, ensuring your company and employee needs are met, and allocating resources efficiently? Whew! It is certainly not for the faint of heart. But what happens when you are faced with one too many goals and not enough manpower […]

Relationships don’t work without clear communication, hence the reason it’s so important for organizations to figure out messaging. Read through the 5 W’s to get a clear picture of what goes into a clear message that will cut through the noise. Why: Start here! In the wise words of Simon Synek, “Very few people or […]

According to American University, 35% of women are encouraged to run for office from more than three sources, compared to the 49% of their male counterparts. Why? Why do you think there are nonprofits and community groups dedicated to motivating, educating, and financially supporting women who should run for office? I’ll share more when I […]

Surveying is a way to gather information from an area that helps to paint a picture of the community’s thoughts and feelings towards subjects. For the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale, we surveyed people in a particular area to gather data about future initiatives and community sustainability. Sometimes, to survey effectively, you have […]

Mission and programming are the two key components to a strong non-profit. The issue is a non-profit needs profits. Let’s do away with the term non-profit. It speaks only to tax exemption and not the day to day work a team is doing to bring in donors and write grants. In his TED Talk, Dan […]

There is some cool shit going on in the world. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started researching tech innovations for social good. I would call myself a do-gooder; I do good, but this world of tech innovation devoted to helping communities, developing solutions, and creating gadgets is extraordinary. Personally, […]

“Consumers appreciate and support socially conscious businesses because it causes them to become emotionally invested. In fact, customers are 85 percent more likely to buy a product that is associated with a charity,” says Molly St. Louis from Inc. Magazine. Here are 4 ways doing good can help build your brand: Defines Corporate Identity You […]

A few weeks ago, I spoke at the Urban League of Broward County’s Women’s Brunch and it was an absolute pleasure. A friend through New Leaders Council, sent me a message a few weeks prior to let me know Urban League was doing a panel on women empowerment and to ask if I could talk […]

It’s time to think critically about your business’ role and responsibility in it’s social impact on your employees and community. Social Impact /ˈsōSHəl / ˈimˌpakt/ The effect or influence of one person, thing, or action relating to the well being of a community and their cultural dialogue. The rudimentary social impact of an organization comes […]

I was having a conversation with a colleague recently. When she is in the room, you can tell some people are uncomfortable. And by “some people,” I mean some white people. She is an outspoken advocate for people of color, specifically men who have been in prison and supporting their goals as they re-enter their […]

Races, endurance challenges, and indoor team marathons! Oh my! If you’re like me and those three things give you anxiety, take several deep breaths. These types of fundraisers elevate excitement, improve the lives/health of your participants, but more importantly get people like me to participate! Here are five campaigns that even I would join: Do […]

You know what is both incredibly ironic and fantastic about the history of America and marches? We are a country built on protest. It could be argued that this nation can be referred to as great because of protest and unrest. Before March for Our Lives, the Women’s March, and Black Lives Matter, there was the […]

Last year Nancy Siegel called and said, “Ebonni! I want to do a women in leadership summit.” And from what Eb says, she wasn’t thrilled, but decided to help create this force powered by women anyways. In September, we launched the Lead, Women Facebook group to foster a community of women leaders supporting and providing […]

One of our current projects is with AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Florida AIDS Walk. It is a 5k walk in South Florida. We were brought on board to help take charge of community outreach, on the ground field operations, marketing and promotion of the walk, as well as building lasting partnerships with corporate teams. […]

Here are a few ways to you stop it: No Mobile Monday: I’ve heard this idea a few times, but most recently from a friend of mine, Robyn. She suggested having a “No Mobile Monday”. Her name was way more catchy, but you get the gist. Stop allowing yourself to be distracted by bright screens. […]

One of the core problems with every person I work with through the SCORE, mentoring or here at The Idea, Inc. is one that almost always surprises the person when I recommend their next move. I’ll share this “problem” in a second. When you talk to professionals about starting or growing a business, it is […]

What qualifies as a “diverse” workplace? Does it mean that employees are of a variety of different races and genders? Or does it mean they’ve had a variety of life experiences? This article, written by Gillian B. White – a senior associate editor at The Atlantic – gives an interesting take on the how the evolving view of […]

I’m just at the cusp of a turning point Where the sway in my hips is a symbol of strength And not an act of trying too hard Physically, a woman is strongest at that point in her body It is the center of her being, but We’ve still got our minds and our mouths […]

A white marketing executive from Atlanta was fired because of his Facebook post that gathered racist comments from his friends. Kudos to the company, Polaris Marketing Group, where this man worked! They clearly know that one of the greatest aspects in growing a business is having a team who has respect for each other and […]

So here’s the story: A few weeks back, Craig calls me. I was busy at the time but eventually got to return his call. He lost his job and as a solution to ease his stress he wanted to know if he should start a business. If you’ve ever started a business or knows someone […]

While we like the sound of our own voice here at The Idea Inc, every week we want to showcase the voices of other bloggers or articles we think do a good job of conveying an important message to business. We are a company that loves to work with businesses that have a purpose and much […]

I just want to take a cliche moment to celebrate life. There is much to reflect on: the year is coming to a close, September was Suicide Awareness month, America has had more mass shootings than days in the year, the holiday season official begins with Halloween, and our business is on a turning point. […]

I am excited! Our website has a new look, Danielle continues with rebranding, and Ebonni constantly reaches out to solopreneurs/organizations/startups/growing businesses. It’s time that we revive the purpose of our company! I’ve been working for The Idea Inc. (TII) for years now and I, too, have experienced the stage of stagnancy like what some relationships, […]

The Client: Mrs. Judithann Gardine is a wife, mother, and grandmother who loves her family. She wrote a children’s book for her grandson with a plan to continue writing The Purpose: Mrs. Judithann had two ultimate purposes:  One purpose is to leave a legacy for our oldest grandchild by writing a story about him.  The […]

The idea, inc. Is a company of ideas, diversity, and change. It is our purpose to bring out the purposes of other people/clients regardless of nationality, race, and color as long as they manifest love, equality, and respect. We work on a high level of connection to make sure that our customers fee l that they are […]

As an entrepreneur, starting a new venture brings means identifying purposeful direction, profit opportunities, and people. People to manage the vision, people to deeply connect with and people who have like minded missions or can benefit from your mission. Developing a company culture when it is a one woman show seemed necessary when i started […]

It is interesting to consider the workforce as it is sold to us in development. From a child onward, we are constantly told that the entering the workforce is a transition into the “real world”. Therefore we adapt that train of thought in many aspects of our lives growing up, especially school and home life, […]

I don’t know that people always realize the power they have when it comes to…well anything, but in this case I’m referring to the local economy. When your neighbor is doing well, when you are doing well, when businesses are doing well, we all benefit. by “well”, I am referring to something as simple as […]

Welp…I suck! Let me start by saying how much I love pens. I have 3 very obvious obsessions if you know me. Jewelry (the more the merrier) Pens (the really thin point ones or calligraphy – i was born in the wrong time.) Magazines (don’t bend my pages!!) Does this make me uber odd? Fine, […]

Only think about how you’ll make a living and/or how you’ll pay the overhead needed to do the work you want to do after you’ve spent time being creative. You have to keep a roof over your head, keep the lights on and keep food in your belly! You may already have employees or investors […]

First, you will share your idea with the list. Tim has his list, but he also took the time to build a larger list. I’ll discuss soon how to build a larger list, but in the meantime let’s focus on your list of friends, family, co-workers, exes, etc. You’ll need your list for a lot […]

…you become an idealistic, determined, wanton, creative, annoyed person. I’m tired of people asking me, “how’s business?” You really want to know about business? I feel totally inept some days. Other days I feel like a superhero. The day after that, I wonder if I’ve lost my mind, because for the 10th time in 3 […]

Make “the list.” Tim calls himself a change agent, as he should. He travels around the world making it a better place. So we manage his everyday affairs. The truth is, as your “fake job” becomes the real work you want to do, you will begin to realize some of the desired outcomes you seek […]

Noelani considered quitting her “real job.” We define a “real job” as the job you and everyone else thinks is best, but a “fake job” is the work you long to do—hard work, fun work, work that risks something different taking place than what currently happens.

I wanted to say all the right things in all the right ways to get you to understand why I started this business and why you should care. I may be a bit dramatic here, but putting yourself out there, whether in a relationship, a new gig, a promotion, or, in my case, launching a […]