O afacere de succes ar trebui sa surprinda sa fie neasteptata in sensul in care antreprenorul din spatele ei va specula o nisa de piata sau o oportunitate de bussines ignorata de ceilalti. Inovativa da, dar nu complet noua. Un antreprenor nu are nevoie de o idee originala, este suficient sa adopte o idee de succes si sa o foloseasca intr-un mod neasteptat, intr-o zona neasteptata sau pur si simplu cu mai multa staruinta. Nu trebuie sa inventeze un nou model de bussines. Metodele vechi, verificate in practica, vor fii probabil biletul cel mai ieftin de intrare in lumea afacerilor de succes.

Mulţi antreprenori consideră că nu pot porni o afacere fără o idee grozavă. Ei cred că va fi imposibil să reuşeşti fără un concept complet nou, ca piata a fost deja ocupata de către firmele vechi in domeniu. Numai daca se vor aventura în teritorii neexplorate vor putea să-si atingă visele.
Aceasta este o eroare.
Cele mai multe “idei noi” nu vor aduce investitorilor nici un penny. Unele companii au facut miliarde dintr-un produs unic, dar daca privim de aproape , lumea reala relevă faptul că “unique selling point” lor este greu de definit. Poate cineva sa spun sincer, diferenţa dintre Coca Cola şi Pepsi? Sau intre hamburgeri McDonalds şi Burger King?
Este foarte posibil să ai o afacere înfloritoare, fără o idee mare. Adevarata cheie a succesului este concentrarea şi executia geniala. Da, lumea are nevoie de oameni cu idei măreţe, care sunt dispuşi să îşi asume riscuri mari pentru a continua acest progres, dar lumea are nevoie de asemenea de întreprinderi mici care creaza locuri de muncă. Antreprenorii nu ar trebui să fie jenati daca ideea lor nu este originala.

Există o mulţime de oameni cu idei în lumea afacerilor. O idee “mare” este un produs sau un serviciu nou, ceva care nu a mai fost facut inainte si suna extraordinat de atragator. Este ceva ce-ti taie răsuflarea, ceva îndrăzneţ şi sexy. Din păcate, deşi un produs unic poate genera profituri uriaşe, este de obicei extrem de complex, riscant, netestat, dificil şi costisitor de produs.
Eroarea “ideii mari” este că, pentru a începe o afacere de succes, este necesar să aibă un concept revolutionar nou. Mulţi antreprenori prefera planuri mult mai simplu de afaceri care au o şansă mai mare de succes în detrimentul proiectelor riscante, complexe care i-ar putea face fabulos de bogati in teorie dar unde probabilitatea de reusita este mult mai mica.

Nu ma intelegeti gresit. Dacă simţiţi că aveţi o idee care va schimba lumea si aveţi tenacitate, abilităţile şi resursele pentru a o pune in practica, atunci va urez din tot sufletul succes. Cu toate acestea, idee stralucita pe care o aveti nu este la fel de importantă ca şi găsirea unui model de business care funcţionează. Visatorul care va inventa viitorul Google va deveni miliardar, dar vor exista mii de alti visatori care nu vor face nici un ban.

The Myth of the Entrepreneur
The popular perception, promoted by programmes like Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice is that entrepreneurs are smart-suited, fast-talking, sports-car-driving mavericks that have big, bold plans. On these shows, winning the contest at hand is everything and the meek will not survive. It’s a formula that makes for good dramatic television, but that ignores the majority of successful entrepreneurs and companies and the more workaday ways they achieve success. The consequence of this media portrayal of entrepreneurs as rock stars is that many people believe that they do not have what it takes to start a successful business because they see no similarity between themselves and their TV role models. In truth, most businesses in the real world are really rather prosaic. What is interesting in reading the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 (a list of the 100 fastest growing companies in the UK) is not only the great variety of companies, but also how mundane most of them are. Many great entrepreneurs made their mark in unexciting industries. Dragons’ Den’s own Duncan Ballantyne started off in the ice cream world, and Richard Branson’s first venture was a student magazine.
Entrepreneurs are not all made from the same mould, and very few fit the stereotype portrayed in the media. Along with the fallacy of the great idea, the myth of the superstar entrepreneur provides an excuse for inaction, or causes people to start ventures inspired by fantasy instead of reality.

Great Ideas are Often Not That Great
It is sobering to take a look at a directory of web start-ups, such as Go2Web20, and reflect that at least 50% of these businesses will not be around in two years time. Each one of these businesses was undoubtedly based on what their founders thought was a world-beating idea. They were wrong. Entrepreneurs, especially in the technology sector, fall over each other to prove how terribly smart they are and show how much they are going to change the world with their idea. All this posturing hides an awful truth: most of these ideas are not very clever. In fact, most of them are so dumb that they will never make any money. Not one penny.

Great Ideas are Highly Seductive
There is no denying that big ideas are good for the ego. Being part of the next big thing sounds good at parties and impresses people. Self-image plays a big part in that. Intelligent, educated people often feel they must launch a business that holds a mirror up to their undeniable, though undiscovered, brilliance. They want to develop a world-changing concept that will prove what a smart and insightful person they really are. Due to some lucky people who have made their great ideas a reality in spectacularly profitable fashion, great ideas seem to promise riches beyond the dreams of avarice—if only we can come up with the next one. Don’t get drawn in.

Great Ideas are Disruptive
Most people are resistant to change. We know what works for us and mostly we stick to it. As a result, it is rare that there is mass uptake of a new technology or service. New products require people to shift their behavior and are subsequently difficult to get off the ground.

Great Ideas are Unproven
Ideas that seem great on paper may not survive the harsh realities of the marketplace. No matter how much market research is undertaken, it is impossible to determine whether a product has not been created heretofore because no one has thought of it or because there is simply no demand for it. It is easy to forget that companies with killer products like Apple and Microsoft have had their fair share of flops… and, as an individual entrepreneur, you probably can’t afford a flop.

Great Ideas are Expensive
The Internet has heralded in a golden age of entrepreneurs as the costs of market entry in areas such as retailing and publishing have been slashed to a fraction of the pre-Internet levels. Open source technologies and the ability to outsource work to low cost labor markets has slashed the
cost of entry even further.
But, whilst all businesses can benefit from these cost savings, the next truly big thing will almost certainly need bespoke development that will require significant start-up capital. Raising finance is hard at the best of times, and should not be undertaken lightly as it often requires giving away a large proportion of the business in exchange for it.

Great Ideas are an Excuse for Inactivity
As mentioned earlier, many people say that they would like to start a business, but don’t think they have a good enough idea for one and, as a result, they are paralysed by an apparent lack of options. In falling for the fallacy of the great idea, they are failing before they have even started.
Seth Godin, in a manifesto on this very site, The Bootstrappers Bible, noted that of his Stanford MBA class, half had publically proclaimed that they wanted to start their own business sooner or later. 20 years later, only 10% had actually done it. He believed that the rest were waiting for the right idea or the right backing, for “an engraved invitation and a guarantee of success” as Godin put it. Life is rarely that obvious or simple.

Think Simple
A simple idea that works is more attractive than a sexy idea that fails.There is no shame in launching a business that is not based on a complex business model. There are several benefits of launching with a simple idea:

• Quick to market.
• No need for angel or VC funding.
• Profitable within months, not years.

Don’t Try to Be Too Clever
As the recent events in the financial market have proven, being clever is no guarantee of success. The world’s banks hired the smartest graduates from the best universities, but somehow managed to get it all wrong. Clever people can still make mistakes and they can have some very bad ideas. Furthermore, they have the added handicap that being clever often gives them a feeling of invincibility.

Do not be seduced by your own brilliance.
Being smart and writing arresting presentations makes some people think that they cannot possibly fail. Nothing could be further from the truth. Have the courage to see through your own hype and the hype of others. Good entrepreneurs build on their strengths by choosing a sector in which they have experience and passion. They also understand their weaknesses and are not afraid to accept help and advice from others.

A Call to Arms

• Concentrate on Brilliant Execution
• Start Small if Necessary
• Innovate
• There is Not a Moment to Lose

Sursa: changethis.com

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