Ideas: What Are Yours Worth?
Introduction
Ideas are what has shaped this world to whatever it is nowadays. There are some great ideas and a lot of bad ideas. They are what makes the difference in this world. They are what makes Hubpages, well, Hubpages. If there were no ideas there would not be any articles, like this one. Heck, there would not even be a Hubpages!!
But how much are our ideas worth? If you had a great idea for a social networking site that would blow Facebook right out of the water, how much do you think that idea would be worth? Is it worth a gazillion bucks? or just worth a second glance and a "hmm, interesting."?
What's Your Idea?
I met a friend once who told me "you know I have this amazing idea for this online business and I don't think anyone has ever done this before, but I am too scared to share it, what if they take my ideas and run away with the billions they can make?"
To him I say "You have this idea and you have not made even one cent, why will they run away and make billions with it? what is the difference between you and him?"
What indeed, is the difference between him and who ever he thinks is going to run away and make billions out of it. There is only one yet crucial difference, and that difference is executing it.
You see, an idea is just that. It is not worth even one penny, and chances are someone has already thought of it before you. there are around 7.3 billion people on this earth (may be more if you count the dead and create contact with them with ouija boards?), are you telling me that only YOU have come up with this idea? What a naive and narrow minded statement to make. Someone probably has even tried executing that idea, failed and threw it in the garbage. Yea, not very excited about your idea now are you?
Well, this is the bitter truth, the sooner you accept it the better it is.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying throw your "revolutionary" idea out of the garbage as soon as you come up with it, quite the opposite in fact. Having an idea is simply having a Ferrari in the garage. It won't do what it is supposed to be doing if you just leave it there. Yes the highest speed on the speedometer probably says around 220mph. But that is just an IDEA. The idea that you could drive this super car up to 220mph. It is never going to happen unless you bring it out of the garage and hit the pedal to the metal.
Rich With Ideas
If I came up on stage and announce the release of a new gadget. and if Steve Jobs came up on stage and announce the latest Apple gadget. Who would make you more excited? Me, or Steve Jobs. The answer is obviously Steve Jobs, and if you mentioned me it is because you are my friend and you don't want to hurt my feelings, or you are my mother. Because the answer is obviously Steve. Obvious. Ridiculously Obvious. The not so ridiculously obvious is why? why would he excite you more?
Because of his amazing history of execution. It is so amazing that it has been made into a movie. Everyone knows that when Steve Jobs goes on stage he means business, it means he is going to make it happen. He does not go on stage and start by saying "you know I have this idea..." no. He takes the damn gadget from that little jeans pocket of his and shows you the damn thing. "Good-bye discman, hello iPod" He shows off the tricks and the magic that it can do, and how it is going to revolutionize how we live and listen to music.
People will not invest their time and money on an idea alone. No, you need to be a person who has a history of making an idea happen out of nothing. Steve made his first idea come true from his parents's garage. You need to be that kind of person if you want to be taken seriously.
So if you have an idea, never be afraid of telling your friends. Chances are he is just going to sit on it the same way you are now while playing your video games and watching your favorite reality TV show.
People would rather invest in Apple stock than the stock of a new company. Because they know what Apple stands for. They are brilliant at executing an idea. They have a brilliant Chief EXECUTive Officer. They are not the first company to make a handphone but that does not matter....
I Have a Better Idea!
The most successful companies or successful people are not the once who came up with the idea and making it happen first. No. Otherwise we would still be using Nokia, or Ericsson. Searching for things on the internet with Yahoo, or Alta Vista (any one remember Alta Vista?). The successful ones are the ones who saw something and decided to make something even better.
This is why we are searching on Google from our iPhone or Android. This is why we are taking pictures from our phones instead of using Kodak cameras. Innovation. This is why we are on Facebook and not Friendster. You get my point.
So if you have an idea and you have seen someone do it, you still have a chance of trying to make something even better and beat them at their own game. There is a better chance of you beating them than you inventing something totally new.
Right now Google is the best search engine there ever was. But we never know how long it is going to last. Someday someone will make something even better than Google. Is that someone you? Any Idea?