It’s so good to be back! I will be catching you all up on the events I’ve attended in future posts. For today, I just want to share an easy way to get a little business inspiration.

One thing that I’ve heard from aspiring entrepreneurs is that they feel “stuck” when it comes to their businesses. They either are unclear about what kind of business they should start, or they have a fledgling (or sometimes thriving!) business that they are looking to expand but are unsure which direction they should pursue. If this describes your situation, here’s a little tip for you.

Figure out the industry you want to serve (even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do in that industry). Then, find the think tanks that focus on that industry, and attend as many of their virtual events that you can. One think tank that has lots of seminars in a variety of industries is Brookings Institute, so that’s a good place to start. Most of the big think tanks are based in Washington, DC, so you may want to filter your search down to the online events hosted by those organizations. I attended a think tank event years ago, and within 15 minutes, I had several ideas that could have been easily monetized.

Here’s a way to do this: let’s say you aspire to own a business related to finance (like me!). You can start at Brookings Institute, and sign up for all of their banking & finance events, then sign up for the events being hosted by other think tanks that host finance-related discussions, like Cato Institute and Center for American Progress. If there are no upcoming events to watch, then check out the past recorded discussions. Listen carefully for opportunities: they’re always there, no matter what level of business you feel that you’re on. Make a list of the ideas that come to you as you’re listening, then go back and listen again, this time paying more attention to the flow of the conversation and other details you may have missed while taking notes.

If you’ve come up with business ideas from listening to think tank discussions, I’d love to hear more about it! I’m currently working on one idea that I got while listening in at a think tank event, and I’m so excited to share that with you all once it’s completed!

That’s all for today: take care and I’ll talk to you all soon!