It is said that when Archimedes jumped in to have a bath, he realised that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to the part of his body that he submerged. When he had this insight Archimedes jumped out of the bath screaming “Eureka! Eureka!”.
In my experience, this is the complete opposite of what it’s like to start a business. When starting a new business there is a lot of noise and it’s very hard to decipher the signals from the noise.
When you start a business;
- The problem that you’re working on is poorly defined (heck, you don’t even know if you’re working on a real problem).
- There are a lot of people who will tell you to stop doing anything unusual for no good reason.
- You’ll get feedback and criticism too early, which is meaningless in the long run.
- You don’t know who you’ll sell it to, how and how much for.
The list is endless…
But it really is pointless to wait for a perfectly formed idea, with an obvious business model, with a built in distribution network, which you will be able to execute without having to upgrade your skill-set (for example by learning code, or learning about manufacturing etc).
The reality is that the biggest and hardest step is to get started and having the courage to work on something which you believe isn’t right in the world. Something that you think people will give you money for.
Initially it may seem silly to do this. But if you’re working on something which you believe should exist, but doesn’t…
…and people are in denial about the problem or passive about the problem…
… then it’s likely you’re on to a winner.
Follow your gut!
Keeb's Blog 