How to Steal Your Way to an Intentional Business (and Life)
"Good artists copy; great artists steal."
When I first heard this quote, I was instantly intrigued. It was from the Ted podcast "Why stealing other people’s ideas can be a good thing (w/ Austin Kleon),” where Kleon was quoting Steve Jobs. A little digging showed that Jobs was likely borrowing from Picasso who said something similar. And Picasso, in turn, may have taken it from T.S. Eliot, who wrote,
"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different."
The quote sticks with us because of its simplicity and the provocative truth it holds. But let's be crystal clear: I am not condoning theft that leads to lawsuits or harm. The legal world provides a critical boundary. While the line between inspiration and infringement can sometimes feel blurry, if you are "copying" something so closely that it could lead to a legal battle, you have probably failed to infuse enough of yourself into the creation. It’s an act of imitation, not transformation.
Just look at the music industry. We've all heard the stories of famous artists being sued for a chord progression or a melody that sounds too similar to someone else's work. These cases are a testament to how all new ideas are built upon a foundation of what came before, but they also serve as a reminder that the goal is to acknowledge and build on that work, not to replicate it outright. True creativity lies in taking inspiration and turning it into something distinct and new.
So, if I’m not talking about stealing in the legal sense, what do I mean? I mean "stealing" in the way T.S. Eliot describes it. I mean taking an idea and molding it with your unique experience and perspective, transforming it into something new that is completely and utterly your own. This is what advances our civilization, our art, and our businesses. There is truly nothing new under the sun—a phrase that has existed since the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. Every "new" idea is a reassembly of all the ideas and creations that came before. If you dig into any great invention, artistic creation, or business breakthrough, you will see it is built on what came before.
For a long time, I felt like I wasn’t a creative person because I felt I didn't have any original ideas. Everything felt like it was coming from somewhere else. This feeling would often paralyze me, making me feel like I had nothing to offer. But then I realized that this is the very definition of creativity. It's not about creating something out of nothing; it's about consuming, parsing, and combining existing ideas in a way that is unique to you. It is this combination of other people's ideas with our own experiences and perspective that makes something our own.
The more business courses I have taken, books I have read, and podcasts I have listened to, the more I have seen this truth in action. All the ideas are simply recycled. And that, I’ve come to realize, is not a bad thing.
The Myth of the Original Idea
This realization hit me recently when I was reading Michael Hyatt’s book, Full Focus. As I worked my way through the pages, I can’t say I found a single new idea. And for a moment, I was kicking myself because I felt it was a book I could have written. The frustration was real. But then I had my "Aha!" moment.
I didn’t write that book. Michael Hyatt did. And I love the book precisely because of the way he organized the ideas and the practical tools he created to apply them. He took concepts that already existed—concepts like goal-setting, productivity, and prioritizing—and he forged them together into a powerful, organized framework. He made them his own, and in doing so, he made them accessible and effective for thousands of people, including me. I have since become a Full Focus Certified Coach, and my passion is helping business owners implement these very ideas.
This experience shifted my perspective from feeling like a fraud for not having original ideas to seeing myself as a conduit for making those ideas useful for others. It changed my focus from trying to invent the wheel to perfecting how to help others drive it. The magic isn’t in the invention; it’s in the synthesis.
So, what does this have to do with you, a busy small business owner who is feeling overwhelmed and stuck in reaction mode? Everything.
Why “Stealing” is Essential for Business Owners
As business owners, we often get so focused on our own product or service that we stop looking for new ways to grow. We fall into a routine, and before we know it, we're stuck. The key to staying competitive and constantly improving isn't about being a creative genius; it’s about opening up your mind to new ways of thinking and finding better solutions.
This is where the power of intentional "stealing" comes in. It’s a strategic advantage that allows you to find more effective ways to solve problems and serve your customers. This isn't just about looking at your competitors. It's about looking at everything, both inside and outside of your industry, and asking: "How can I adapt that idea to my business?"
For instance, a small coffee shop owner might look at a tech company's customer service model and "steal" their idea for a simple, automated feedback system. A digital marketer might "steal" a concept from a non-profit’s fundraising campaign to create a more compelling call-to-action. In my own work, I found immense inspiration by studying marketing methods. While the industries are different, the principles are the same: you have to understand your audience's needs and create a journey that compels them to take action. By "stealing" from marketing, I was able to create more engaging and effective learning experiences.
This is why it's so important to expose yourself to a variety of ideas, not just the ones within your industry. For instance, in learning design, a lot of what we do is about winning over and motivating learners. I found immense inspiration by studying marketing methods. While the industries are different, the principles are the same: you have to understand your audience's needs and create a journey that compels them to take action. By "stealing" from marketing, I was able to create more engaging and effective learning experiences. It’s about creating what author Austin Kleon calls a "stack of interests" and exposing yourself to diverse perspectives. Think of it as creating a rich, fertile soil for your ideas to grow. You have to fill the well before you can draw from it.
Creativity is the ability to connect the seemingly unconnected. When you intentionally consume a wide range of information, you fill your mind with a diverse set of building blocks. These building blocks—concepts, strategies, stories—can then collide and combine to create the solutions you need. This is where the magic happens. This is where you find flow and solve problems that seemed impossible before.
The Three-Step Framework for Intentional Innovation
So, how do you do this? How do you become a master idea "thief" who builds on existing concepts to create an intentional business and life? It all comes down to a simple, three-step framework: Consume, Digest, and Produce.
1. Consume
This first step is about being a proactive and curious sponge. The goal is not mindless scrolling or passive consumption. You want to intentionally seek out a wide variety of information and ideas. This means moving beyond just the business gurus in your industry. I believe that creativity is a muscle that can be strengthened, and it’s often done by exposing yourself to new perspectives. I've found that some of my best ideas come from unexpected places.
I set aside time every day to consume content from a diverse range of sources. My podcast list includes shows like How to be a Better Human, Re-Thinking with Adam Grant, Freakonomics Radio, The Happiness Lab, and Hidden Brain. These aren't just about business; they're about psychology, economics, and human behavior. By understanding how people think and what motivates them, I can develop more effective strategies for my own business and my clients. I also read a lot of fiction. For me, it's a way to relax, but it also opens up my imagination and forces me to see the world through a different lens.
The more you learn from outside your direct field, the more powerful your insights become. It’s about creating what author Austin Kleon calls a "stack of interests" and exposing yourself to diverse perspectives. Think of it as creating a rich, fertile soil for your ideas to grow. You have to fill the well before you can draw from it.
2. Digest
Consuming is only half the battle. If you simply take in a lot of information without processing it, it becomes intellectual clutter. This is where the magic of digestion comes in. This is where you process what you’ve consumed, connect the dots, and find a way to make it your own.
I've found that the simple act of taking notes is one of the most powerful things you can do. It's a way of engaging with an idea on a deeper level. I keep notes of what I like, what I dislike, and how a new concept connects to something I already know. I track my thoughts and reactions. This process of intentional note-taking and organization is what allows those building blocks to truly combine and create something new.
Methods like the Zettelkasten or Building a Second Brain are powerful tools for this stage. The Zettelkasten, or "slip-box," method involves writing down each new idea on its own note card and then linking it to other related notes. The power of this system is in the connections, allowing new ideas to emerge from the relationships between old ones. Tiago Forte’s Building a Second Brain (affiliate link) is a method for organizing digital information using the P.A.R.A. framework: Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. It's a way to quickly find what you need and, more importantly, put it to use. I personally use Notion to capture and organize my ideas (and draft this article), creating a system that allows me to easily search, link, and connect disparate thoughts. This becomes your own personal library of concepts, a resource you can always draw from.
3. Produce
This is the final, and most critical, step. As T.S. Eliot said, a good poet “welds his theft into a whole of feeling which is unique, utterly different than that from which it is torn.” You solidify your own thoughts in the act of producing.
And this production doesn't have to be traditional writing. It's any act of creation—whether you're writing a blog post, creating a new service, designing a product, or developing a marketing campaign. For me, that act of creation is often writing. You may have heard the quote, "Writing is about figuring it out." I believe this to be true because the process of creating forces you to clarify your ideas. It's a way to make the vague concrete. This is why I write a weekly blog. Every week, I take the ideas I've been consuming and trying to digest and force myself to make them coherent for my audience. In the process, I make them coherent for myself.
Writing is a way to clarify our own understanding of a complex topic. The act of explaining a concept to others forces you to organize your thoughts and identify any gaps in your knowledge. You may think you understand something, but when you try to explain it on the page, the holes in your logic become obvious. The writing itself is the process of filling in those gaps.
The process of writing is also a constant journey of solving problems. As you work, you constantly encounter challenges—a character is stuck, the plot has a hole, or a sentence doesn't flow. Writing is the process of working through these challenges, experimenting with different solutions until the narrative works. For a small business owner, the writing on your blog or in your marketing materials is a way to solve the problem of explaining your value to a customer.
Ultimately, putting your thoughts on the page can unlock a new level of personal insight. For writers of personal essays or memoirs, the act of putting life experiences on the page is a way to process events, find a narrative arc, and gain a new awareness of their own reality. For me, that's what this blog is. It's about taking ideas I've collected, and through the process of writing, transforming them into a framework that has helped me build the business I have today.
This year, I plan to write a book to help me organize and clarify my thoughts on the FLOW framework, a system I developed to help business owners perform in their optimal state. The book itself will be a product of this framework, and the act of writing it will help me to further solidify and clarify my own thoughts.
How to Start Stealing Like a Pro
Now that you understand the framework, you might be asking yourself, "How do I start doing this?" Here are a few concrete steps you can take today to begin your journey of intentional idea synthesis and build a more purposeful business.
Be an Intentional Consumer. Start by setting aside just 15-20 minutes a day to consume content outside of your immediate industry. This could be listening to one of the podcasts I mentioned or reading a chapter from a book on a subject you've always found interesting. Don’t do it for work—do it for curiosity.
Build Your Capture System. You don't need a fancy system to start. Use a simple notebook, a note-taking app on your phone, or a free version of a tool like Notion. When an idea sparks a thought, write it down immediately. Don't worry about organizing it perfectly just yet. The key is to capture the thought before it disappears.
Start a Small 'Production' Project. Don't wait until you have a perfect idea for a book or a new product. Start with a small act of creation. Write a short social media post about something you learned this week. Film a quick video for your clients explaining a concept you "stole" from a podcast. Create a new template for your team based on a book you read. Starting small helps you get in the habit of producing, which is where the magic happens.
Connect the Dots. As you consume, capture, and produce, constantly look for connections. Ask yourself: "How does this idea apply to my business?" or "How can I combine this concept with what I already know to solve a problem for my customers?" Your unique perspective is the filter that will turn a simple idea into a truly valuable innovation.
The Path to Your Intentional Business
As a small business owner, you are constantly being pulled in a million directions. The pressures to be productive, to innovate, and to grow can feel immense. But by embracing the concept of "stealing," you can release the pressure of invention and instead focus on the power of synthesis.
This mindset is what helped me build a business that serves my life, not the other way around. Over the years, I've had to solve the same problems that many small business owners face: feeling overwhelmed, stuck in reaction mode, and working around the clock. My journey led me to a simple truth: the most powerful solutions are not new, but are a purposeful combination of ideas that already exist.
This realization is the foundation of my coaching program, The Intentional Entrepreneur. It is a proven framework, but it's not a framework that I invented from scratch. It is a synthesis of everything I have "stolen" from books like Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus, from a dozen other best-selling books on productivity and goal-setting, and from countless podcasts and courses. I’ve taken all of those ideas, organized them, and molded them into a cohesive, actionable plan designed specifically for the modern business owner.
This isn’t about hustling harder; it's about working smarter and more intentionally. It's about moving from feeling overwhelmed and reactive to feeling in control and purposeful. It’s about building a business that gives you the freedom to live the life you've always dreamed of.
Our work together won't just be about learning; it will be about doing. Each module of the program—from creating your Personal Blueprint to building your Weekly Success Rhythm—is designed to help you consume, digest, and produce in a way that aligns your business goals with your personal vision. By the end, you won't just have a more productive business; you'll have a more fulfilling life, and you'll have all the tools you need to continue building and growing with intention.
If you're ready to stop the hustle and start building a business that serves your life, you need to create a plan that prioritizes both. Download the ultimate guide to work-life balance for business owners and take the first step toward a more intentional and fulfilling life.
