On a recent episode of Mad Men, the AMC series set in a 1960s ad agency, a copywriter finds inspiration for a campaign in the middle of the night. Drinking to his own success, he drifts off, and when he’s awakened the next morning, the idea has slipped back into the ether. Every business needs ideas. And everyone knows that the best ideas often arrive in the shower, on the edge of sleep, in the car – anywhere but behind a desk. The simple step of being prepared to capture them – having pen and paper or a recorder in the places ideas usually arrive – can be the least expensive and most profound competitive advantage you’ll ever find.
