You Have An Idea, Huh? That’s cool…
You ideas are important. They mold the way you view the world. They form your identity. They motivate you into action. We as business owners and entrepreneurs need to have some exciting and creative thing we wish to bring to the world. You know, that startup, that product, that lucrative business model that brings people financial freedom, that impact you want to have on the world. That’s great and all. But what you need to know about your ideas is this hard cold truth…
“Ideas are a commodity. Execution is not.”
Michael Dell
Ideas are a dime a dozen. Nobody cares about them, even if you were to talk about them. EVEN if it’s in front of people who support your idea. But what matters most at the end of the day is you and your execution of them. Ideas are all fake until they are made real. If something is going to work, show the world it will by taking action.
On paper, ideas sound so seductive. Everything makes sense because of the way it sounds, the way it looks, and the shear potential it has. It gets exciting! But the reality of it is the reality of the idea itself… What do I mean? Let me explain by asking some questions.
What change to the world does your idea make?
Who is your idea for?
What are the costs of your idea?
How much of your precious time is your idea going to take to fulfill?
What is your idea going to do for you?
What is your idea going to do for them?
The list goes on…
Gary Vaynerchuk, your wife, even your neighbor can give you a great idea… I can give you a great idea. But what then? Let it go in one ear and out the other? Or execute?
So What About Your Ideas?
He who executes most on the idea is the one who wins. Through development of your idea, you will encounter failure, you will encounter resistance, you will encounter haters. You’ll even have setbacks, lose money, and even lose team members along the way. This is the reality of making your idea real. This you will have to accept.
People will always believe someone out there “stole” their idea. What they fail to realize is that the idea belongs only to the man who had enough bravery to make said idea happen. Every single idea you’ve ever had, someone somewhere has already thought of. The only difference between you and the person/people who execute is execution. Learn how to execute and the world will be set at you feet. Don’t, and you’ll resent the person or people who do.
What To Do
What’s your idea? Tell someone or don’t tell them. The best you can do is start the 1000 mile journey today. State what your idea is. Make a plan. Weigh the costs. Execute. Get feedback. Adjust to the markets needs. Rinse-wash-repeat. Now go execute.
Thanks, and talk soon.
Will
