What is a Power Idea? (And why does it matter for your business?)
The world isn’t working the way it should.
Whether it’s the systems we move through every day, the way our industry operates, or how disconnected we feel from the people we’re supposed to trust to serve us — something’s off. And if we really sat down and thought about it, most of us could name a few things we’d like to see change.
But that’s the thing. Most people don’t name it. We don’t say it.
Even when we care deeply. Maybe we’ve tried to speak up before, and we know how risky it can feel — and be. So we feel like they need to have our thoughts “just right” before we speak up.
Or there are just so many thoughts in our head, they get all tangled — we can’t decide which ones to prioritize.
So we stay quiet. We keep busy. Our focus gets fragmented, our attention turned away from the big issues that concern us deep down.
And the solutions to the issues we care about most… never get off the ground.
That’s because:
Change doesn’t happen in silence.
Change starts when we articulate what we notice.
When we give language to what we believe.
When we let other people in on our vision.
So how do we do that? How do we start conversations, stir action, and change how people see the world? It starts with what I call your “Power Idea.”
What is a Power Idea?
At its core, your Power Idea is the single, compelling concept that unifies:
What you believe
What you do
How the world is now, and
What world you want to create instead
It’s different from your:
Vision statement
Mission statement
Tagline or slogan
Elevator pitch
(I’ll show you how it’s different from each of those marketing tools in upcoming posts.)
Your Power Idea is built on three core components. Once those core components are in place, the idea takes shape in two formats:
The manifesto: A deeper expression of your core belief and vision for change, with all the passion, nuance, and weight your work carries. This is where you can let it all out. (Have you seen the Star Wars show Andor? If so, you know the power of a manifesto!)
The core statement: The clear, distilled, one-sentence version that captures your belief in a way that’s memorable, repeatable, and rally-worthy. This is what TEDx would call your Idea Worth Spreading.
Sometimes that core statement leads to a snappy, slogan-style version — the kind of thing you’d slap on a t-shirt, a podcast name, or the cover of your book. But impactful slogans always start with more expansive exploration.
Finding your Power Idea isn’t about sitting down and magically writing your one-sentence statement. It begins with high-level, messy, creative thinking. My clients and I dig into the roots of their work — their lived experiences, their unpopular opinions and their popular ones, too, the patterns they see, their passions. Then, we use a structured process to shape those insights into the three essential parts of the Power Idea, before finally drafting the two versions, first creating the manifesto, and finally distilling it all into one high-impact sentence that becomes the foundation of your thought leadership — boosting your visibility and authority.
In short, your Power Idea is what enables you to show up as a bold, visible, effective voice for change.
Why a Power Idea Matters
I’ve been through so many “essential” branding exercises at workshops, conferences, and live events. Exercises that were fun and inspiring… but in the end, definitely were “nice-to-haves,” not essential. And so many of them have sat in notebooks, unused since then.
Creating your Power Idea isn’t that. Here are a few reasons that having a Power Idea is actually essential not just for your business, but for your community and our shared world, too.
Reason #1: Change only starts when we share ideas.
Unless ideas are shared, change can’t happen. Progress stalls.
That’s not me waxing poetic — it’s practical. The moment we speak an idea out loud, something shifts. That idea becomes available. It gains traction. It starts to take root in other people’s minds.
(Which is exactly why authoritarian governments try to control libraries, the arts, and education, btw. They know that ideas are powerful, and that shared ideas can threaten the status quo.)
Every movement you admire, every cultural shift you’ve benefited from, every innovative solution that’s changed how we live and work? It all started with one person deciding to speak up and share an idea.
And that’s why your Power Idea matters.
The work you’re doing — whether it’s through your business, nonprofit, creative pursuit, or leadership role — has the potential to make things better. For your clients. Your community. Your audience. Your industry. Your team.
But remember:
Change doesn’t happen in silence.
If the people around you don’t know what you stand for, or what you believe is possible, they can’t get behind it. They can’t support it. They can’t spread it.
A Power Idea gives your vision shape, structure, and shareability. It’s the message that brings people in and invites them to believe in something bigger — and then act on it.
Reason #2: Your Power Idea will touch every element of your business.
You’re going to use your Power Idea everywhere.
Dr. Evingerlean D. Blakney speaks at TEDxShawUniversity
This isn’t something you write once and then forget as soon as you close your notebook.
The work you do to create your Power Idea will inform your:
Podcast interviews
Panel discussions
Social content
Team meetings
Sales pages
Onboarding materials
Keynotes or TEDx Talk
Workshops and webinars
It will shape the way you speak about your work and the way people speak about you.
Because a Power Idea isn’t just “messaging” — it’s leadership.
When you lead with clarity, people trust you. Follow you. Refer you. Rally behind you.
#3 Having a clear, concise Power Idea makes it easier for other people to share your message.
So often, when we have a chance to speak up, we get tangled in too many thoughts. Or we over-explain. Or we just wing it every time someone asks, “What do you do again?”
But you can’t build a movement on mixed messages. You can’t make an impact when your message is a moving target.
Your Power Idea cuts through the noise of the world AND of your own brain, giving you the clarity to speak consistently and effectively about what matters to you and your business.
When your message is that clear, it spreads. That means more people talking about you like:
“You should have [your name] on your podcast! She talks about…”
“You really need to work with [your name]. Her vision is…”
“Have you met [your name]? I think with the work she does, she would be a great JV partner for you.”
People can’t share what they don’t understand. (Well, they might try… but at that point, it can be more harmful than helpful!) And they won’t share what doesn’t feel sharp, true, and compelling.
But when someone hears your Power Idea — and it clicks into place for them?
They’ll want to share it. AND they’ll understand it well enough that they CAN share it effectively, so they people they share with will want to share it, too.
That’s when your message starts to ripple out into places you’ve never traveled, rooms you’ve never set foot in.
Reason #4: Your Power Idea keeps you from sounding like everyone else.
Without a Power Idea, most people end up saying a little bit of everything.
They try on different messages for different platforms, different audiences, different moods. Their voice starts to feel fragmented or unclear — even to themselves.
But a Power Idea keeps you anchored. Everything you say ties back to something coherent and powerful. And that helps people trust your vision.
It also helps you stay aligned with what matters most to you.
Your vision statement, mission, or tagline can all play a role in your business and your marketing, but your Power Idea is what pulls them together — and gives them real meaning.
(In future posts, I’ll break down the differences, so you can see exactly how vision statements, mission statements, and taglines or slogans work together — and how to know if yours are aligned.)
So… How exactly do you find your Power Idea?
Most people have so much they could say. A mountain of lived experience, big ideas, strong opinions, stories, offerings, frameworks, even taglines and mission statements.
But your Power Idea isn’t just a combination of those things.
It’s not about distilling everything you do (eventually, into a single sentence — but that’s far from the first step). It actually identifies the throughline that runs underneath all your other materials. (And you’ll probably find that once you’ve created your Power Idea, it’ll inspire you to make some updates to those other pieces, too.)
Your Power Idea lives at the intersection of what you believe at your core, what the world is like now, the change you want to lead, and how your audience can take action toward it. And when you can name that idea clearly and powerfully? You stop spinning your wheels trying to say everything all at once — and start saying the one thing that really makes an impact. (And as a result, opens doors.)
There is a process for uncovering it, a process that blends your values, your vision, and your voice. It’s something I guide people through in my programs. But for now, just know this:
You already have the beginnings of your Power Idea.
It’s there, under the noise.
And once you have an inkling of what it might be, we can craft it together.
After that, you’ll wonder how you ever showed up without it.
If you want to create change, start with your Power Idea.
You don’t need a million different messages.
You don’t need to “have it all figured out.” (Like anybody does, right?)
You just need to start with your clear, compelling, well-ariculated Power Idea.
The one you want to be known for.
The one that clarifies your message, activates your leadership, and gives others a reason to listen — and a reason to act.
That’s your Power Idea.
And the sooner you name it, the sooner your work can ripple out farther, deeper, and with more impact than you thought possible.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
If you’re ready to bring your Power Idea to life — and use it to lead change in your business or community — I’d love to help.
Schedule a Power Hour Intensive to get started.