“The idea”
- 80 Startup Business Ideas That Can Make You Money
- Top 10 Innovative Startup Ideas
- I Have an App Idea, What’s Next? 5 Clear Steps to Launch
- How do you know if your startup idea already exists?
- How can I sell my startup idea to someone?
There are millions of ideas and, I’ve discovered, perhaps just and as much advice and as many articles about ideas.
Asked, once again, by a founder, “How do I talk about my startup idea without someone stealing it?” I decided to take a look at how many questions and articles there are about Startup Ideas.
I stopped counting around 300…
Founders are Fixated on the Idea
We join incubators, we seek lawyers, patents, and NDAs to protect them, we quit jobs with them in mind, and we chase dreams of being wealthy and successful, all because of an idea.
“There’s some bizarre mythology that’s been created in the startup realm that ideas themselves have an incredible monetary value. Spoiler alert: they don’t.”
Wil Schroter; Startups.com
I’ve not yet asked them all but I’d hazard a guess that if you ask every investor, mentor, or startup program director, they’d tell you the same thing, it’s not about the idea.
Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, audio theatre, and films. His works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.
“But the truth is, it’s not the idea, it’s never the idea, it’s always what you do with it.”
Neil Gaiman; author
EVERY day, founders need to sift through dozens, and pivot based on feedback and learning of what works and what doesn’t.
Society’s fixation on the idea is problematic. It implies ideas are unique. It implies founders have secrets to protect. It implies that people will fund or pay for that idea.
Ideas are temporary, dynamic, prolific, and fleeting.
Successful founders churn a dizzying array of ideas. They toss them, fast and efficiently.
What you need to have is a mission, vision, and values. (And resources).
I didn’t serve in the military but I have some great peer, friends, who did.
A startup is akin to the order to “take that hill.”
That’s a mission.
The vision is the plan. And our values explain how (what we will not do).
From there, we constantly try different ideas to achieve that mission. The idea is what fails.
The idea, is some soldier showing up and saying, “I have a pocket knife, I’m going to charge ahead and take it!” And you know those founders when you hear them… They don’t take feedback, they think they’re right, they think their idea is special because they had it.
With just the idea, nothing is going to happen. No one will follow that soldier and it has the slimmest chance in hell of actually taking that hill.
What’s the vision, what are our values, and what resources do we have to do it?
Resources? People, tools, capital.
What’s that saying about war? Once it starts, the plan goes out the window?
What works is when that charismatic leader with experience and vision, motivates people to stay focused on the mission, change plans, and keep trying different things until it works.
It’s time for the idea to die because the secret to success is that you should have another one before you finish reading this sentence.
I want to invite you to join me in such discussions live and together.
Join me online here
“We work from a belief that ideas are not precious. They’re floating around out there in the air for anyone to find.” – Tina Weymouth, Talking Heads
Paul O’Brien absolutely agree with that one Paul. You do a great job of exemplifying this.
Paul O’Brien Very well put.
Jeremiah Samuel Krakowski Cheers for saying that. That means more than you know; I’m trying
Well said. CB Insights posted yet another study stating that the number one reason startups fail – no market need. Unfortunately we don’t have a catchy word for YC’s motto “something people want”.
It’s almost as if there should be a word to describe all the work related to the market in which you find yourself. Alas.
Great point. Ideas are nothing without execution. And vision/values/resources are what enable great execution.
Wow! Love it.
Like Jocko Willink and Leif Babin wrote in Extreme Ownership, the ops plan proves flawed as soon as the battle starts. But the fundamentals are always the same. Jocko and Leif call them the “Four Laws of Combat.”
1. Cover and move:
If your fire team buddies aren’t covering you when you move, you’ll get shot.
2. Prioritize and execute:
In battle so many threats can come at you at once, you can’t possible counter them all. So you prioritize the biggest threat, the one that’s about to take you out, and you focus all your energy and effort on eliminating that threat. Then, repeat.
3. Simple:
Keep every plan as simple as possible. Cascading if-then loops can get you killed in the fog of battle. (This sentence is my own verbiage.)
4. Decentralized Command:
Everyone involved in the operation must have a very clear understanding of the “commader’s intent,” such a clear understanding that if the commander goes down or is in whatever way taken out of action the individual will know what to do. And a corollary to this is that each combatant must have the training needed to handle such contingencies, e.g. operate the heavy machine gun if Pete no longer can.
Hope this helps! You surely helped me decide first of all what is my mission, then see where my cherished ideas fit, or don’t.
Thank you, Paul O’Brien
Brilliant Allen! Thank you. I have a host of peers working more closely with Military Innovation and Vets, here in Texas, and it’s from our conversations that a bit of this example crystallized in my head. Really appreciate some other experienced perspective.
One of the most underlooked topics for startups. ? Founders’ attachment to “the idea” can kill their startups.
Cheers Sunny Shuoyang Zhang, Ph.D., you’ve sparked some new thoughts about what more to explore… “how dangerous is that idea?”
Well said! I probably have this conversation once a week with new founders, especially when they ask for an NDA. Focus more on where your idea is going and how to grow it into a reality and quit focusing on whether the investor who hears 100 pitches a week is going to steal your idea
Thank you, very much for adding that Kyle Kertz; in fact, that was one of the recent questions I was asked that sparks my thoughts. I left it out because I’m trying to write shorter pieces LOL
Great pic…That is my actually my Great Uncle, General Hobart (Hap) Gay, standing over Patton’s right shoulder. He was his Chief of Staff all through WWII. I have heard many interesting stories from my Uncle Hap when I was a kid.
Wow, Bob Goodman, golden heritage. Could you share any of those stories with us? Some inspiration would help.
Uncle Hap was in the military staff car with Patton near Heidelberg Germany when they were going bird hunting. The car was hit by a military truck and Patton was thrown over my uncle and hit the inside seat. He asked my uncle to feels his legs, which uncle Hap did. Patton said “God damn it Hap…feel my legs”. Patton was paralyzed and died shortly after.
Yep, some smart dude told me this one day at a Starbucks two years ago. Same guy who taught me about industries! Biggest difference between leaders in the Army are those who know how to “visualize, describe and direct a solution.” Unfortunately, very few get the chance to practice by moving large groups of human beings and lots of equipment across big maps.
Very well said Paul. Let’s be clear once and for all: VC’s look at ideas all day every day. 100’s if not 1,000’s a year. Yet, they only invest in 3-4 deals a year. Why? Because we don’t invest in ideas, we invest in people. People who have a vision; a mission; a strategy; a passion for excellence; and most importantly, the ability to execute, AND the ability to recruit others who can do the same. They are open to feedback – from markets, customers, and yes, even investors, because they’re less interested in being King or Queen than they are in winning! Find me those people, who also happen to have a great idea, and I’m all in!
Early advisors and programs such as incubators aren’t (shouldn’t be) focused on the venture likely to fail and certainly to pivot, they should be focused on developing those people
Ideas are cool and easy to relate. Building a venture is boring and uncool. However, this is the clutch in moving from 0 to 1.
I disagree. There are dumb ideas. There are ideas that make no money. I think starting with a good idea is a good idea.
James Song Dumb ideas can be monetized. Ideas that make no money are generally poorly marketed or executed.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look for smart ideas mind you, but I’ve seen too many stupid ones form solid profitable companies at this point.
You disagree because there are dumb ideas? I said nothing of dumb nor good ideas so with what are you disagreeing?
I see the same attitude in the game dev world and it never ceases to amaze me. No matter the size of the team, successful projects ship because you have a core vision and recognize that you will have to “drown your babies” daily.
Ideas are very important, but perhaps not the “end-all-be-all.” Add great vision, values, mission, etc to an idea – then you may have something that’s worth something. ?
I painfully accept that there is a powerful truth here; the idea is the beginning and a companion to action which is the real crucible for value creation. Falling in love with the perfection of an idea is a trap.
“Falling in love with the perfection of an idea is a trap.” great theme for a topic there… a panel topic or podcast show
I have seen this problem before. Precisely because many investors are unwilling to be tied down by an NDA, it can be worthwhile for entrepreneurs to protect an idea by filing a patent application before discussing with anyone.
How do you advise entrepreneurs discern when it’s worth that cost/investment vs. not?
Agreed. As I tell all aspiring founders with billion-dollar ideas: “Great ideas are worth negative $250,000. That’s what it will take via cash and sweat to find out if it’s really as good as you think it is.” I speak from experience.
That is a fantastically brilliant way of getting the point across Jason Goodrich!
You don’t have a “fundable” thing as an idea; you have an expense to start to minimize and in time turn from a loss leader to something of value.
Spot on!
This is so true. And the more you can keep expenses down while iterating and learning what part of the idea people will actually buy, the better!
LOVE Neil Gaiman
Energy never really dies, it just transforms. For every product idea, there are 8 more prototypes waiting in the wings. Be steady, consistent, unwaivering, iterate with all consumer feedback and get it right. The idea(s) never die, they just transform into unicorns.
Jennifer Keenan agreed. I’m still at it after 3 years. I’m not quitting. I stopped talking and am quietly executing and finishing. I cannot wait to hit mvp!
Paul, I have a new idea for…….ahahah couldn’t resist.
Your post makes me think of something I was listening to this morning. Matt Ridley talk about innovation vs. invention and so swerves into a discussion about these concepts. Interesting stuff and I a lot of good insight here.
Steve
Paul O’Brien Great article! You always give great content to ponder. And the next articulation about quitting is spot-on!
[…] wrote a bold proclamation to founders not long ago, that it’s time for the idea to die. My assertion, of course, was not that brainstorming, ideation, and your inspiration to start […]
[…] Ideas are shared. The notion that ideas are unique or owned by you alone, is IP b.s. that lawyers and companies try to spin as reality, in order to sue their way into profits. I’ve worked with startups for 30 years and have never heard an original idea. […]