YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT QUITTING YOUR JOB AND YOUR COMFORTABLE SALARY TO START SOMETHING THAT YOU GENUINELY CARE ABOUT. YOU KEEP HEARING THE PHRASES: ‘FIND YOUR PASSION” OR “DO WHAT YOU LOVE - THE NUMBER ONE RULE IN BUSINESS”. BUT WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A PASSION? WHAT IF YOU’RE STILL SEARCHING FOR THAT BIG IDEA?
If I could offer you one piece of advice, chances are you’re overthinking it. Have you ever thought that maybe that ‘big idea’ is staring you right in the face already?
The idea for Spoon came to me whilst eating my morning bowl of cereal at work. Wouldn’t it be cool to make breakfast cereal exciting again? From that initial thought came a breakfast cereal pop-up, an appearance on the BBC TV programme Dragons’ Den and subsequent listings in delis, shops and supermarkets across the country.
I certainly can’t take sole credit for the idea, which is only as good as its execution. Talking and seeking advice from the people I trusted allowed me to sense check the idea and build on it. My family, friends, business partner, colleagues and the people I look up to in the food industry all had a part to play in getting Spoon off the ground. From coming up with the name, to testing recipes, to brain-storming the overall concept, they all provided their own nuggets of wisdom. If it wasn’t for these guys, ‘Spoon’ would still be an insignificant thought stewing in the back of my mind. I certainly didn’t have all the answers at the beginning and I’m still learning as I go.
Don’t worry what people think when you tell them your ‘seed of an idea’ either. If it’s a crap one they will tell you and maybe they’ll provide another way of looking at the problem, which could ignite your ‘eureka moment’.
Unfortunately, granola won’t win awards for being the most ground-breaking or innovative of ideas. But I like to think we’re doing things the right way and making breakfast better by putting our own unique spin on cereal. We want to make a simple everyday activity something to look forward to. If we can make at least a few people go to bed at night excited about waking up in the morning to enjoy a quality breakfast, that’s one step in the right direction.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t have to be a big idea or an idea that nobody else has thought of before. The best ideas come from staying curious. So instead of worrying about finding your passion, switch off your laptop and mobile phone, get outside, speak to people, take in your surroundings and chances are that seed of an idea will fall in your lap.
Words: Co-founder, Annie Morris
