Do you have so many great ideas but a few attempts? Do you start something and call it quits at the same point every time. You come up with an idea, research the hell out of it, learn about the market, register a domain name & build a website, then you probably don’t know how to proceed or just want to move on to something else.You are not alone.
Most successful entrepreneurs today struggled in the past but they always do what they have to do to get their ideas off the ground. The ability to stick to an idea long enough to see it grow is not common but it’s one of the most important skills for entrepreneurs.
These are a few pieces of advice from entrepreneurs for you if you need help to take your idea to the next level.
1. Trevor Collins, Crowdfunding Entrepreneur & Co-Founder of 100 Danish
To be honest, the founder entrepreneurs I’ve met who launch and grow big things are extremely action-oriented. They have an insatiable hunger to advance the cause of their project. It is more than okay to not be the idea-generator and original starter. Go hunt out a founder with a killer idea and join them. See how you can add value. Watch how they recruit people and resources. Then watch what they do when they hit obstacles. The good ones will relentlessly figure out a way to make things happen. Join them on the rise and see what they do right and what they do wrong.
Then decide if it’s in your heart of hearts to be a serial entrepreneur. If you can’t brainstorm for an afternoon and generate 20 action items of how you might proceed after you set up your startup cosmetics, then this learning period is likely needed.
2. Bob Crowley, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Investor, Athlete
I’ve foundwe’ve a tendency to lump ideas, founders, builders and operators all together as an “entrepreneur”, when really they are distinctly different and rarely all one person. Maybe you are one or more of these. I’ll explain.
Ideator – a problem solver, who can’t help but see issues and conceive of solutions.
Founder – an Ideator who takes action on his/her idea(s) by creating an actual product or service
Builder – a Founder who constructs a business plan to proliferate the product or service to defined markets
Operator – a Founder who takes what the Builder has done and scales the business.
It’s rare that one is all of these roles. More commonly, a person is best suited for one or two roles ( for example it’s common to see Ideator/Founders – who get stumped at the Builder stage or a Founder who is darn good at being a Builder for the first market – proof of concept, but struggles with the skills to be N Operator and scale the business).
At each step along the way, if you have the self realization as to where you fit in this spectrum, it will help you identify the kind of talent you will need to take your idea, product/service or business to the next level. Maybe you are one of the few lucky ones who can spam all these roles – if so, then you’ve an exception career ahead of you.
It’s no shame if you are not – that would be the norm and there are many famous leaders who have struggled to maintain leadership in their businesses as the needs shifted. It’s in the knowing what your strengths (and weaknesses) are and thus where you fit, that will lead to your ultimate success.
3. Alex Kouznetsov, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Health Entrepreneur, Technical Executive, ErgoMinder.com
Try to do the opposite of some things you’ve been doing:
1.Don’t use your ideas. You are too attached to your “own baby” and will defend it even if the market will not like it. You’ll be trying to prove the market wrong, instead of listening.
2. Get ideas from future customers. Select market niche and interview 20+ decision makers (owners, execs) in selected market – ask them about problems they have, and ideas they have to solve these problems. Also ask them how much it costs them NOT tohave a solution.
3. You will get 5+ ideas from 20+ interviews. Sort these out and find most frequent problem/idea.
4. Sketch a solution and show it to them. Iterate 4-5 times (as needed) – until they start offering you money to build it. Ideally – you pre-sell product to 4-5 customers. It’s their ideas – to they have no resistance to their own ideas. And you don’t have to follow any selling method.
5. Now you have a paying customers and budget to build the MVP product.Forget about business plans and investors. It’s “old school”.
Customers don’t read business plans. Focus on solving painful problem for real people, and deliver fast. If you find and solve their pain with your product – you have a business.
If your business takes off and start growing fast – then you may consider taking money from investors, or not. They will come to you. And you will decide if you need them.
These pieces of advice were first shared on Founder Dating