“I just need a great idea.”
This is usually how it begins. What would you do if you had a great idea?
“I would start my own business.”
Does this sound familiar? We all believe that we need a great idea to start a business. The other night I was out with a buddy and he kept on mentioning this fact. He really wants to start his own business, but he just doesn’t have a good idea. Whenever I try to brainstorm with him, nothing works because he wants a great idea. He won’t accept an idea that works or one that has been done before. Instead he chooses to stick with a job that he hates and forces him to work long hours just to pay the bills.
I want to see you guys succeed. Screw the perfect idea.
Here’s a little secret for finding a perfect idea…
You don’t need a perfect idea. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You just need to keep it spinning.
Looking for the perfect idea is an excuse to do nothing! Four years ago I used to meet up with a buddy and brainstorm ideas. We thought we were entrepreneurs. We were fakes. All we did was write down a bunch of nonsense and then go out. That’s not what entrepreneurship is about.
Then I finally stopped chasing ideas and started a personal finance blog, Studenomics, and have loved every minute of it.
The truth about the perfect idea is…
The perfect idea doesn’t exist. There’s a flaw with every single idea out there that has generated millions of dollars. Think about it…
Facebook seems stupid at first glance. Why would I care about what random friends are thinking about? Why would I post pictures of myself drunk inside of a club? Well the founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is a billionaire now.
Why would I limit my writing to only 14 characters? Who would go for that? Twitter seemed weird when I first heard about it. Now everyone is on Twitter. If someone doesn’t have Twitter we think that they’re odd or just don’t keep up with technology.
You see the general trend here? Some of the most profitable ideas ever were not perfect by any means. They were highly flawed and scary to try.
I urge you to focus on the action and not the planning. Pick any idea and stick with it. Give it a try. See what happens. If it doesn’t work, then try something else. No harm done.
Now it’s your turn. What will your flawed idea be?
{ 0 comments… add one now }