Turns out your closed system came up with a fail price. Maybe empowering your employees to deal with this could help.
Monthly Archive for August, 2008
It’s not unique. Sorry. Odds are there’s already companies out there right now looking at that idea, and actively working on it. They probably have more resources than you, groups of people focusing on it, and looking to monitise that idea.
But that’s OK. Because good ideas aren’t rare. They happen all the time. Everyone wishes they could become rich, millionaires, and are just waiting for the opportunity. Well that opportunity is now, it’s happening all the time. Everyone has good ideas, and these good ideas are how people become wealthy, by building a business around this idea, and providing value to others in exchange for money.
The crux however is that it’s not the idea that makes people rich. Because lots of people have great ideas, but not all of those people are rich. It’s those people who have an idea that’s better than now, and capitalises on that idea into a business that makes a profit – they are the people who become rich.
So don’t stress that your idea doesn’t seem to be killer amazing, nor stress about trying to keep it top secret, because odds are there are already people working on that idea. Your job is to execute that idea into a business better than the other people.
Dell sells computers. It’s hardly a novel or unique idea, it’s just that they did it so much better than the competition. Google does search. Remember Alta Vista, or Hotbot, or Lycos, or Northern Lights? Same idea, better execution.
There are so many business opportunities out there in the brick and mortar world that are crying out for someone to apply some technology to them.
A fantastic example of this – Better Place. Imagine taking the business concept of cell phones (subsidised handsets, and making money on the minutes), and applying it to electric cars (subsidised cars, and making money on the electricity).
So what are some examples I’m working on right now?
- Creating a website that allows stores to create their own vinyl lettering online. They create the design online, they order and pay online, and within two days receive their order. Easy, and mass-customisable, thanks to the power of the Internet.
- Creating software for Liquor Stores/Petrol Stations and other high risk stores that allows them to serve customers effectively and efficiently using technology, while seperating the risk of potentially agressive customers.
So my call to action is to continue to think about how to apply technology to all these common problems, and in return create a life worth living. What are you going to do?