Is my idea good or bad?
Some projects take a lot of fuel to get off the ground.
A friend of mine is investigating a business idea.
In fact, he’s been investigating various business ideas for the past few months. He’s not sure whether the idea he has now will turn out to be a good one.
I wonder if what he’s really asking is, “Will my idea be successful?” And perhaps he would define success as, “Will it yield a profitable business?”
In my view, ideas are somewhat neutral; to determine whether they’ll be successful, it’s the execution that matters. And even a good idea, well-executed, isn’t necessarily going to yield a profitable business unless that’s the intention behind it somewhere along the way. Otherwise, that won’t make it into the architecture of the execution.
In 2007, with a full studio of music students, I kept getting referrals for new students. I got the idea to bring additional teachers into my neighborhood to serve these students. I brokered the relationships between the teachers and the students, provided well-stocked studios for them to teach in, and did the marketing.
Was it a good idea? Yeah! My idea has benefited hundreds of people, music students and music teachers alike. To this day, people are grateful. Was it well-executed? Reasonably well.
Was it profitable? No! I didn’t have any idea how to make my idea into a profitable business. I paid the teachers what I would want to be paid under similar circumstances, added a few bucks, and that’s what I charged the clients. It had nothing to do with profit. To this day, I am compensating for that huge mistake, despite the great idea.
Many, if not most, of our ideas are worth developing, if we’re clear on what they’re for. Right now, I have a few different ideas for courses and workshops I’d like to offer via teleconference. I’m not exactly sure how they’ll be received, but I know that none of these ideas are “bad.” They’re not going to harm anyone or ruin anything. That doesn’t mean these programs will be successful, but I’ve made my definition of “successful” pretty forgiving: If two or three people show up and enjoy themselves, the workshop is a success.
Based on that definition of success, I can design my workshop to yield the desired result. I have to make sure the pacing and length allows for people to have fun and not get bored. I have to let enough people know about it and remind them often enough that a few will show up. I have to set the price appropriately (perhaps simply “free”) to make it easy for people to give it a shot. With the resources I have, I’m likely to have a successful execution of my idea.
However, if I define success as “One hundred people pay $90 each to come to my workshop,” I will need to invest in a more significant plan in order to be successful. If I’m unable to achieve that result within a narrow time frame, that doesn’t mean my idea was bad. This plan might take years to come together. It would be silly to castigate myself for a “bad idea” for which the execution is simply incomplete or ineffective.
If you’re wondering whether your idea — for a piece of art, a book, a business, a charitable endeavor — is a good or bad one, you might try asking yourself a more specific question that gets at the heart of what you’re really seeking. Will it impress people? Will it make me famous? Will it make me rich? Will it bring me joy? Will it make my teeth whiter?
By asking such a question, you’ll get much closer to the outcome you’re looking for. You’ll generate more ideas that will help you make the most out of the initial idea. Whether it’s successful depends on how you define that success and the degree to which you invest in it.
An idea is not a momentary spark of genius; rather, it’s the lighting of a match that will either burn out or become stronger and more powerful based on the resources you give it. The shape that it takes is up to you.
Special Announcement!
Tomorrow (April 16) at noon EDT, I’ll be joining Scott Perry and Seth Godin in conversation as part of Creative On Purpose’s Ruckus Maker’s Roundtable series. I hope you can be there, too!