Take Inspired Action

Take Inspired Action

Kelly Kennedy: Most people don't fail because they lack ideas. They fail because they wait too long to act on them. We're told to wait for confidence, wait for clarity, wait until we feel ready. But the truth is this clarity is found in the action, not before it. Fear shows up the moment an idea matters. Fear of failing, fear of succeeding.

And if you wait for the fear to disappear, you'll simply never move. In today's episode, I want to show you how to take inspired action anyway, not by eating the whole elephant, but by taking the next step with trust, momentum, and belief in your ability to figure it out. If you are sitting on an idea this January, this episode is your sign.

Let's bring it to life.

Intro: The Great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years. Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal. And we couldn't agree more. This is the Business Development podcast based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

And broadcasting to the world, you'll get expert business development advice, tips, and experiences, and you'll hear interviews with business owners, CEOs. And business development reps. You'll get actionable advice on how to grow business, brought to you by Capital Business Development Capital BD ca. Let's do it.

Welcome to the The Business Development Podcast, and now your expert host. Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly Kennedy: Hello. Welcome to episode 305 of the Business Development Podcast. Well, guys, it's January the 7th, 2026, and I know that many of you have big plans and bold ideas for the coming year. 2025 was a big year for the show.

And 2026 is being set up to be an even bigger year yet. And so today we're gonna talk all about taking inspired action. But I wanna start today's show by thanking you, our amazing Rockstar Listeners, each and every one of you. I appreciate you all greatly. Thank you so much for supporting me on this journey so far.

You know, without your dedication, listenership, and kind words along the way. This show would not have been possible. And I really mean that guys from the bottom of my heart, it has been the people who have reached out to me along the way let me know that they appreciate what we're doing here, and, uh, inspired me to keep going.

That has really made this possible, and it is because of that support that I have an incredible. Amazing announcement to make with each of you today. It is my absolute pleasure to let you know that the Business Development Podcast has just crossed 300,000 downloads. Guys, less than 5% of all active podcasts in the world have ever hit that number, so it is a big deal.

And I am very excited for what comes next, whatever the universe may bring. I wanna take a moment here as well to acknowledge our title sponsor, partner for 2026 Hypervac Technologies. You know, their support for the last two and a half years has also really made this possible and their continued support allows us to provide this show.

Twice a week, and I wanna give a very special shout out to Colin Harms, specifically the president of Hyper Vac, who has been integral to getting us to this point. And I would encourage each and every one of you to check out their new website. They have an online store going. www.hypervac.com and give them some love because, uh, it's their dollars that have really supported this show for the last two and a half years.

Thank you again for your support of the Business Development Podcast, and please do remember to follow us on your platform of choice, whether you're listening on Apple, Spotify, or something else, giving us a follow. Leaving us a rating if possible, really does make a huge difference. And of course, you know, word of mouth, there's nothing quite like telling a person about a show to get them to listen to it.

So if you know somebody who would get value from the show, my gosh, I appreciate the recommendation. Now it's January guys, so today's show is all about. Action. And one thing that has really contributed to my success in entrepreneurship is my ability to turn an idea into reality. It's pretty rare for me to connect strongly with an idea and let it pass me by, but I also know many people who are idea generators, but they struggle to take the steps to get that idea off the ground.

The funny thing is taking an idea into a tangible reality is actually a lot easier than most people think. Once you've done it a few times, it almost becomes second nature. The truth of the matter is this. Most ideas take less than a couple of months to get them off the ground once you get started. In fact, nearly every venture that I have started took less than three months to get rolling.

Capital Business Development went from an idea to an active corporation in less than two months. The Business Development podcast, the show you're listening to right now, was an idea on paper. In November of 2022 and it went to an active produce show by February of 2023. My Business Development Mastery coaching program went from an idea to a fully built program and my very first one-to-one client within three months back in October of 2023, Accelerator spun off of that and I ran the first class roughly six weeks after its creation in May of 2025, the same month I launched The Catalyst Club.

We held our very first Coffee with Rockstars event with something like 25 members. Guys. Just last month I had an idea for a brand new podcast that I called, I used to work there that went from an idea on a date night discussion with Shelby to a nearly ready to launch podcast in under one month. Now listen, I am not a special case here.

I am not a unicorn. There is very little difference between me and you, no matter what stage of your entrepreneurship, leadership, or podcasting journeys. The reason that I am able to bring my ideas to life so rapidly is this. It's simple, guys. I take inspired action. The reason that I can bring my ideas to life so quickly isn't talent, money, or resources.

It's that when the inspiration hits, I don't negotiate with it. I act immediately. I move at 110% and I compress execution into weeks or months, not years. Most of my ideas go from a concept to reality in under three months because I don't let doubt slow my momentum. Inspired action is acting while clarity and energy are present.

It's the moment when an idea feels obvious, exciting, and alive, and instead of overthinking it. You move immediately. Inspired action guys. It almost feels divine. It feels like just insane momentum. And you find yourself being pulled to just work on the idea. Work on the idea. Work on the idea, like when I am getting super excited about an idea.

It almost feels obsessive, like I'm not sure it's always healthy, but it almost feels obsessive to the point where I just have to bring that idea to life, inspired action is not hustle. It's not grinding through resistance. It's not waiting until you feel ready. It's simply when the idea feels aligned, the next steps seem clear.

The energy is high. You're excited and you commit before the fear can negotiate you out of it. Inspired action happens fast. It relies on momentum instead of motivation, inspired action has to move fast. If you wait too long, the energy fades. Doubt swoops in, and then even the best ideas die quietly and die quickly when you act in the moment.

Progress compounds often turning weeks of planning into simply days of execution to make that idea real inspired action honors the idea when it shows up, not when it feels safe. People who practice taking inspired action. Consistently bring ideas to life faster. Not because they're fearless, but because they move before the fear stops them.

The biggest hurdle standing between you and your biggest ideas is simply fear. And fear can show up in a couple of ways. The fear of failing. This is the obvious one. People are afraid of looking stupid, wasting time and money being judged. Having to admit that it didn't work. So instead, they overplan, they polish the whole thing up a hundred times instead of publish.

They wait for certainty that will obviously never come. But here's the truth. Failure doesn't destroy momentum. Avoidance does. When you take inspired action, failure becomes data. Not a verdict. Every fast move gives you feedback and lessons that you can actually use to move forward. The other fear is the one that nobody talks about, the fear of success.

This one might surprise you, and this one is hard for people to admit. People are also afraid that if their idea works, they will have to show up consistently. Expectations of them will rise. People will watch them more closely and they won't be able to go back to the way it was before. Instead of success being great, they feel that it could threaten their identity.

So instead of risking growth, people intentionally stall before the leap can happen. Both fears have the exact same outcome, hesitation, and hesitation. Kills momentum. Most people think that fear has to be solved before action. They wait to feel confident. They wait to feel ready. They wait for clarity. But fear doesn't disappear in stillness.

It grows there instead. And clarity clarity is not something you wait for. Clarity instead is found in actions. To take inspired action, we have to reframe the problem, and your fear is actually not your first challenge. The first challenge you must overcome in any idea is the overwhelm. Fear feels massive because you are looking at the entire outcome instead of simply the next step.

It's the idea of eating an elephant. Guys, you don't eat an elephant all at once. You eat it one bite at a time. When you stare at the whole picture, your fear and doubt, they get pretty loud when you focus on one small action or step. Your fear loses all of its leverage. Stop asking, how do I build the whole thing and instead start asking, what is the next obvious step that I can take right now today that's inspired action.

It's not reckless, it's intentional, small and immediate. It always leads to the next obvious step and small steps well. They compound, and before you know it, your idea is no longer an idea. It's alive. Let's talk about. My most recent endeavor, I Used To Work There. I did not try to build the entire show immediately.

In fact, we're still working on it today, but I did take steps immediately. Number one, I bought the domain the very next day, the day after I had the idea, guys, I bought the domain for, I Used To Work There. Number two, I wrote the idea down, what is it? What is the show gonna be like? Number three. I played with the concept over and over and over again.

Chat GPT was my friend for like two days with ideas for it. Number four. I hired an incredible artist and designed an amazing cover art. Number five, I built all the social medias, my LinkedIn, my Instagram, my YouTube. It's all ready. Number six, I set up the email HR@iusedtoworkthere.com if you wanna send me your crazy work there stories. And number seven, I started telling people about it. We announced it, we did posts. It's out there in the world, and dammit, it's going to happen. None of these steps were scary on their own, but together they created momentum. And momentum silenced all the fear. Fear lives in the future. It's something you worry about.

Things happening that haven't happened yet. It's the same place. Anxiety lives inspired action instead lives in the present. You don't eliminate fear by negotiating with it. You can't negotiate with terrorists. Guys, you crush fear by moving forward Anyways. Remember, bravery isn't not being afraid. It's being afraid and moving forward anyway.

Every win becomes undisputable proof that you can do it. Every step builds self-trust and self-reliance. Every success weakens your imposter syndrome. Guess what? The funny thing about imposter syndrome, it can't go on forever. Because if you're doing the thing and you're doing it amazing you can't be an imposter can you?

Confidence doesn't come first. Self-belief doesn't come first. Action is the very first step. Action always comes first. The more you act, the more proof you collect, and the more proof you collect, the less power your fear has over you. So if 2026 is the year that you choose to take inspired action, here are five easy steps to turn your best ideas into a reality.

Number one, choose one idea, not five. You don't need to fix all the world's problems in a single day. Pick one idea to run with at a time. Pick the one idea that just won't seem to leave you alone, and if it excites or scares you. Even better. Number two, shrink the idea into the first obvious action. Don't ask how to build the whole thing.

Ask what is the first step that makes this whole thing real. Buy that domain. Write the outline, create the pages. Tell somebody small actions equal real momentum. Number three, act within 24 hours inspired action has a shelf life. If you don't move while the energy is there, fear will replace it. Speed protects your momentum, and perfection can wait your action can't.

Number four, redefine success. As progress success this month, this project isn't about winning. It's simply moving in the right direction. If the idea exists more today than it did yesterday, you are succeeding. Momentum beats motivation every single time. Number five, stack proof. Not pressure. Every step you take becomes evidence that you can do this.

That's how confidence compounds not through hype, through experience. The more proof you build, the quieter your fears become. You don't need more confidence to start. You simply need to take one small step forward. The biggest journeys, guys, the biggest journeys, think about all of the epic stories. The Hobbit Lord of the Rings, whatever.

I know I use those a lot, but look at all of the epic stories. Doesn't matter how big the journey is or. How lofty the goal. Imagine. Imagine the goal of going to the moon in the sixties, something nobody had ever done before, and then you get JFK up on that podium saying, by the end of this decade, we will put a man on the moon.

They had no idea how to do that yet. The technology didn't exist, the ships didn't exist. Nothing existed to do that yet, but. The goal started by declaring what they wanted to do and starting to take simple steps. Well, guess what? 1969 guys, they put people on the moon and they brought them home. Again.

Every major journey, every epic thing that has happened on this planet, every great billion dollar idea from Amazon to Microsoft to Apple, they all started from a simple idea. Action taken towards it. It doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't matter how big the dream, how big the goal, it all starts with inspired action.

Clarity will be found in the actions. Confidence will be built in the momentum, and there is no better day than today to take inspired action and bring your ideas to life. Take that step. You got this rock stars. If you enjoyed this episode, please do follow and rate us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen and please tell somebody about us.

I appreciate your support greatly and if you have a story from a place that you currently and or used to work that the world needs to know, and I mean like epic, scary, inspiring, you name it, we want 'em all guys. Email me HR@iusedtoworkthere.com, and I will show you the ways that we can get these stories submitted.

And I would love to feature your stories as part of our show launch here in 2026. Shout outs this week. Colin Harms, Rodney Lover, Shelby Hobbs,Carmen Leibel,Karli Grove, Lasse Joergensen, Daveed Henriquez, Vijayan Swaminathan, Kris Jones, Mike Bull, Randy Lennon, Gary Noseworthy, Ricco Baffa, Jennifer Kranz.

Jordan Braz, Peter Hurd-Watler,Daniel Monzon, Tatsiana Zametalina, Jayson Chakkalakal, Adam Kimmel, Chris Yeung, Brandon Fuchs, Cyndi Bester Crane, Jason Garner, Cory Sellar, Simon Osler, Rachel Blanton, and Susan Poseika. Until next time, you've been listening to the Business Development Podcast and we will catch you on the flip side.

Outro: This has been the Business Development Podcast with Kelly Kennedy.

Kelly has 15 years in sales and business development experience within the Alberta oil and gas industry, and founded his own business development firm in 2020. His passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation. And business development. The show is brought to you by Capital Business Development, your Business Development Specialists.

For more, we invite you to the website@ www.capitalbd.ca. See you next time on the Business Development Podcast.