I am not a person who’d wear shorts in a prep meeting at my office essentially because I don’t own a multibillion dollar company, yet. Nevertheless, I am just another common human being like you with a minimum experience in the arena of entrepreneurship. And as you can relate to me more than you would to Elon Musk or Jack Ma, you might want to hear me out.
An Idea?
So many of us come up with very exhilarating ideas every now and then, thinking that our idea is the top-notch idea that the world is looking up to. Another case is when we think that we can copy someone else’s idea in a much-much better way and become a winner in the market already. In reality, it never happens either ways. We are either stuck in life with just the idea stuck in our minds (for the first case) or we don’t understand the whole business logic behind the idea that we think we can develop (for the second case).
Though my friends still think that ideas are priceless. Well, I believe they are not (with ‘they’, I mean the ideas obviously because my friends surely are priceless).
What is a bad idea?
Good idea is a solution to a problem! A solution that only exists in your mind is a fantasy; hence has no value. An idea that doesn’t evolve into a solution has no value. Imagine Steve Jobs creating the Apple smartphone in his mind, expecting his company to be the most innovative company of the world. Does that make sense? That doesn’t, obviously.
For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us.
Do it! Then fix it as you go
When you know that nothing is ever going to be perfect then what’s the fuss about? Just make sure that the basic functionalities of your product are well thought of, implemented, tested and ready to be deployed. Sit with your team at a dhaba, challenge your STUPID assumptions (money, power and girls come easy) that might be the obstacles in your business venture. Remember, procrastinating might go a very long way and it’s fatal – not for you, but your ambitions.
The Director of Entrepreneurship at XYZ University says that my idea is stupid
Point of view is subjective. Point of view depends on the position from where you’re looking at it and the eyes of the viewer too! You can believe in the integrity of these words by imagining someone who is in love. Once they are in love, they’ll always find the other part of their soul perfect.
“Beauty is in the eyes of the viewer,”.
people say and then end up calling ideas ugly. Damn, the irony.
B U S I N E S S M O D E L, I N C U B A T I O N C E N T R E, E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P
AYou see what I did there? No? Well, I just mentioned a few overrated illusions. Shah Rukh Khan says “Everything you ask of life cannot be given by anyone else but yourself.” I believe that makes sense to the extent of “God helps those who help themselves.” Well incubation and acceleration centers can surely help you in your venture but rather focus on the auxiliary here i.e. ‘can’ which isn’t synonymous to ‘will’, unfortunately.
More often than not, incubation centers only slow down your pace of growth. They’ll try to make you work according to their brains but you see your idea, your team, your venture and their brains? Nah, never mind. Don’t depend on them. Rather only learn from them, agree on mutual benefits and grow.
Politics, eh!?
Be a diplomat. No, that doesn’t mean becoming a hypocrite or ditching your team etc. Think your venture through. Be a good person. Make sure you’re good to everybody – that’s a basic human functionality that you should implement before thinking of implementing your business idea.
Your business is eventually going to be connected to every human being around you, make sure you leave a good impression through the power of your character – all religions preach that.
Call yourself whatever that you want to become
All the great people knew the potential that they had. They had a clear vision. Your idea is your vision now and to think big is now your responsibility. This will bring confidence and motivation in you. Ever saw someone making millions of dollars and saying, ‘I do not believe in myself’?
People can and will say shit!
No matter how experienced or respectful or honest the other person might be, you don’t have to listen to their judgement of your idea. Imagine you having a stall of ice-cream and someone telling you that the ice-cream doesn’t taste good without even tasting it; do you feel the irony?
So much of criticism is out of envy. Many people don’t accept change. Many people don’t pay attention to what you’re saying. Human beings are naturally hesitant of things they don’t understand. And that is completely okay. Your family, your friends, your neighbours, your colleagues, no matter how close they are to you, you don’t have to rely on their perspective of your idea; because they don’t feel what you feel and they can’t see what you can see.
In fact, there hasn’t been a single world leader out there who relied on others’ opinions and we can look at the history and confirm that those ‘others’ are exactly the people who never got to become one of the world leaders.
Remember! Nobody can judge the potential of an idea without implementing it.