How to Turn Your Ideas Into IP That Sticks (and Sells)
On the quiet power of creating ownable ideas that live beyond the post.
The last few weeks we have been doing school tours for my son who starts school next year.
Last Friday I was sat in a hall, patterned curtains a nice headteacher talking about why we should choose this school above the rest.
There’s a video playing. I lean over to whisper to one of the other mums:
"I would’ve at least added some on-screen text."
Without missing a beat, in her thick Northern Irish accent, she replies:
"This isn’t a bloody funnel, Harriet."
And I laugh, because she’s right.
And also, she’s completely wrong.
Because here’s the truth: if you’re building an online brand, everything is a funnel.
Not in the salesy, sleazy way, but in the “this moment is part of something bigger” way.
When you care about connection, storytelling, and impact… every piece of content becomes part of a path.
Quick ad Break (but make it meaningful):
Before we go any further, can I tell you the one thing that changed everything?
It wasn’t a new platform.
Or a perfect content plan.
It was writing my brand backstory (the real one.)
The version that didn’t sound like a TED Talk.
The one that actually connected.
So, if you're tired of marketing that feels like performance, this is your next step.
Click below for my free training on building your own brand backstory 👇
Why I’m Obsessed With Ideas That Stick
For years now, I’ve been naming the patterns I see.
Turning what I do on instinct into frameworks. Putting a shape around the things I’ve lived, tested, and refined.
Things like:
→ The TRUE Fan Funnel
→ The Connection Method
→ The Brand Backstory
→ (And most recently, something new I’m playing with: The Triple S System)
They didn’t start polished. They weren’t born in a branding session.
They started in notebooks, on calls, mid-voice note, in the middle of a client breakthrough.
But over time, these ideas started sticking.
Not just in my own content — but in other people’s mouths.
When Your Ideas Become Their Language...
One of my favourite birthday cards this year said:
"I hope I get to be in your TRUE Fan Funnel for years to come.
At first, I laughed. But then I felt it, that deep, satisfying click.
The kind of joy you get when you realise your ideas are doing the heavy lifting.
That someone isn’t just watching you online, they’re absorbing what you teach.
There was a time when that would’ve made me shrink.
Hearing my own phrases echoed back in conversation used to make me cringe.
Was I being too much?
Was I becoming one of those people?
But these days? I love it.
Because when someone uses your words, your frameworks, your lens —
it means your message didn’t just scroll past. It stuck.
And in a world obsessed with reach, recall is the underrated flex.
Creating Ownable IP: Why It Matters
We live in a landscape of recycled ideas and borrowed inspiration.
The most powerful thing you can do for your brand is name your thinking.
Your ownable frameworks and language give your audience a way to belong to your world.
They give shape to your expertise.
They offer structure to your story.
They turn what you know into something people can use.
You don’t need a trademark.
You don’t need a 27-page Notion doc. You just need to notice what’s already coming through you, and claim it.
Here's Where You Can Start
If you’re early in your business… or feeling ready to go deeper with your brand presence, ask yourself:
- What do people repeat back to me?
Is there a phrase, idea, or metaphor that comes up again and again in your client sessions or content? That’s IP in the wild. - What’s your method? even if you haven’t named it yet?
Most experts operate from frameworks they don’t realise they have. Give it a name. Even a working title. (Triple S System, anyone?) - What do you want to be known for?
This isn’t just a question of skills — it’s about what world you want to build. What stories, systems, and values do you want associated with your name?
A Quick Note on Building In Public
If this feels messy, good.
It should.
Most of my best ideas didn’t come from perfect planning. They came from noticing what I was already doing and naming it out loud.
So if you’re midway through a brand refresh, a course launch, or even a total reinvention… know this:
You’re allowed to build your IP in real-time.
In fact, people trust you more when you do.
🔒 For Paid Subscribers:
I’ve dropped a short behind-the-scenes video sketching out my Triple S System — Story, Socials, Sales — and how I’m using it to refine offers and messaging in real time. The kind that gets remembered, repeated, and referenced.
Your next big idea isn’t hiding. You’re probably already saying it.
Let’s name it and build your brand around it.
Harriet