Wall of Fame

the ideafuel 7: tools that made us real

Elance

ideafuel would not exist without Elance, an online marketplace that connects employers with freelancers. The site gave us an ability to find world-class talent that was passionate about the project, without any overheads, and brilliantly fast! As the project evolved, we found that having the ability to drop a note to the world's talented labor pool and finding our "insert desperately needed resource" gave us the secret superpower and the strength to keep pushing forward.

Shower-proof Notepad

I think everyone on Earth might have thought of this idea, but one courageous entrepreneur made it happen, and changed the meaning of taking a shower, forever. From organizing my day, to developing an idea, my notepad has seen everything (no pun intended). It is inventors like Mark and LeAnn that make our work more enjoyable, and the ideafuel team thanks them for adding organization and creativity to crazy mornings!

Toggl/Eggtimer

Toggl is an online app that makes it insanely easy to track your time. Our team uses it on a daily basis to instill a sense of discipline to the project- making us aware when we were lingering on a certain project at the detriment of shipping it. In my experience, and the experience of a whole lot of others, this is the best timekeeper out there. Use it in conjunction with the E.ggtimer.com (a countdown timer) for those especially hairy projects that need your complete focus

Linchpin

This book injected me with a serious dose of inspiration whenever I needed it. Leading a passionate endeavor, slaving for your vision, takes a toll on the best of them. This book reminds you of why you are working so hard, and why you refuse to compromise to shipping out just another product. My favorite evening ritual for a while, was to get on the treadmill, throw on some headphones, and exercise the body as well as the mind with the audio version. Thank you Seth, for doing uncompromising work and sharing it with us.

Innovation You

The original vision for this site was to be an "idea inspiration store". But we wanted it to be more than a feel good concept. As we worked through the vision, I ran across this book that explained the four different approaches to creating something, and we utilized this insight to organize the site's experience. As you can probably tell now, the book had a profound impact on the direction of this project. Without this book, and Jeff DeGraff's study, we could not have achieved today's vision of helping idea-makers create with clarity and confidence.

The Artist

This product was an accident- our own accident. We created a portable whiteboard that would easily sit on the tabletops of coffee shops so we could do our work anywhere. We now make this product for everyone to enjoy. The concept is simple- take it wherever inspiration takes you. In our humble opinion, it's a tool that will inject creativity into your everyday work- just don't leave home without it.

Voice Recorder

Along with my whiteboard, my voice recorder goes with me everywhere. Sometimes I can't write (especially when it is a creative task) and this voice recorder is the perfect replacement. I often find myself walking (aimlessly really, but trying not to look to weird) and talking out my ideas. I cannot tell you how many ideas, strategies, tactics came out of these talk-to-myself sessions. I absolutely love how portable this gadget is, and that I can virtually use it, hands-free.