The business of ideas

Matthew 5:5 - "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

This may work for you spiritual types, but I think the New Testament doesn't know squat about business.

I was having a conversation with a friend today about a potential business idea, when a few thoughts dawned upon me. Starting a business is not about the perfect idea. These people (me included), have it all wrong.

Let me provide an example:

You see, if I had to describe something that I am good at, one of the first things I would state would be creating ideas. Crazy ideas, off the wall ideas, decent ideas. Capitalistic, socialistic, things I understand, and even things I do not - I have ideas about all of them (having ideas is often mistaken for I have *opinions* about everything, which can occasionally make me seem like a bit of a jackass, but it isn't always the case, I swear!). I love thinking and dreaming of new things, new possibilities, inventions and improvements to the world we live in.

The problem is, there is no job for dreaming. There is no way to make a living . If this were a perfect communist society, my job would be Comrade Rodin. But it isn't. We all have to make a living, and in a perfect piece of irony, I make my living managing, planning, and explaining the little details, not ideas.

So of the 100 or so viable business ideas I have dreamed of, the net result is nothing. Zilch. Zero. Why? Because I have been meek. When it comes to seizing opportunities, I have hoped, even dreamed of inheriting the earth in a metaphorical sense, while exhibiting behaviour that can only be characterized as meek. I let ideas slip by, and watch them come to fruition - borne on the fruits of someone else's labour.

Why no action? Because I never felt any of these ideas were perfect. They all had flaws, problems, and inherent weaknesses. Doesnt it only make sense that flawed ideas would not make a good business model? Wrong.

I have heard mention that to start a business, you need the right idea. I disagree. Ideas are free. Intellectual capital exists only because effort, time, and resources (ETR) provide value to that intellectual capital. Ideas on their own have little intrinsic value. Businesses do not need the perfect idea - they need people willing to commit ETR to crafting a business out of an idea. I would even go as far to say almost any idea would suffice.

Now, not all ideas are created equal - obviously some ideas require more ETR than others to "mature" - create sufficient business value . But i would propose that:

Idea Value/Optimal Idea Value * (effort + time + resources) = business value

Clearly, an idea without effort, time and resources has no business value, no matter how optimal it is. Based on this model, you don't require the perfect idea to generate business value, you can increase the amount of time, effort, or resources. A business does not require the perfect idea.

So I say, you're out of date Matthew. The meek shall not inherit the earth. Dreamers shall stand idly by while the aggressive seize opportunities. There is no business in ideas. There is only business in action. And in business, act is something that anyone can do - you are not limited by the value of your ideas.