There is a meme on the Internet that says: “The next time you are afraid to share ideas, remember how someone once said:“ Let's make a movie about a tornado full of sharks. ” The humor here is that the Sharknado franchise, which sounds funny on paper, has made millions of dollars and is currently filming the fifth season.
A creative phenomenon or something more?
This is not just a creative phenomenon, there are hundreds of enterprises that, logically, sounded ridiculous when they were first considered. There are really crazy ideas, such as Pet Rock, that allowed creator Gary Dahl to become a millionaire, while he sold ordinary stones with huge profits.
For example, it’s hard to imagine life without Google, but when the search engine was first conceived, it sounded like science fiction. The idea of starting a business on a site that was only sending traffic to other sites was bad enough, and Google entered the market at a time when there were 20 other competing search engines. Twitter shocked the world with an initial estimate of $ 30 billion, but he was considered a “stupid” idea by some of its developers and even one of its co-founders.
So why do people so often laugh at good, scalable ideas when they first hear about them?
Difference factor
What makes something funny in the first place? For starters, this is different from the norm. If you come to an investor with a business plan of a company that is very similar to dozens of successful businesses, no one will be very surprised; This is a proven model. But if you come with something completely unique, you may seem naive in trying to get financing.
However, in the business world, this difference can be a huge advantage. It’s safe to build a business that adheres to a model like a dozen others. However, it will be difficult for your customers to distinguish you from your competitors. If you instead come up with something new, you will instantly become a thought leader, the first and only person specializing in this field, and your competitors will not exist.
Preparing for Change
When Steve Jobs first showed the prototype of a modern iPhone, critics considered the quick-touch keyboard a problem, fearing that the public would not accept such a function when physical key boards were the norm. His answer: “They will get used to it.”
This is a daring reaction, but it is an illustration of an interesting concept that relates to the social acceptance of new technologies and products. As a rule, the spark that sparks a new trend cannot be considered the first product to hit the market; the time has not yet come for this product. But sooner or later, an explosive tendency-turning point arises, due to which some new function, previously left unnoticed, is widely introduced. Before the audience becomes “ready” for the idea and gets used to it, it seems ridiculous, but as soon as it takes off, it certainly looks brilliant. Everything new at first seems strange.
Many versus few
Scalability is an interesting quality because it is not suitable for a new business from the very beginning. If you have one or two large clients, you will use different strategies, unlike a multimillion-dollar corporation operating internationally. If you try to use large-scale tactics on a small scale, you will have a high chance of failure; your profit will be minimal, your audience will be fragile and volatile,and your brand will not have the stability or reputation to manage.
However, if you can overcome these early stages, the value of this scalable approach will increase - and suddenly your abnormal small-scale model will appear brilliant now that it is projected onto a large-scale screen.
Key points
So what can you learn from this and how can you apply these lessons to your business?
Be brave with your ideas. Even if they sound silly in your head, they have a right to exist. Prove the power of your ideas with something more than just the passing opinions of others.
Strive for the perfect time. The ridiculous ideas that succeed often do this because they take into account the time factor; Returning to our original examples, are you able to imagine the successful Sharknado franchise originated in the 1960s? And what about a new search engine prominent today to overthrow Google?
“Scalable” ideas are by no means better than their non-scalable counterparts, but they lend themselves to more voluminous operations. High scalability with a small volume is risky, but it can pay off in a big way.
The next time someone laughs at your idea, which does not make sense at your current level, take a step back and think about the bigger picture. With the right timing, dedication and luck on the growth curve, you may be the last to laugh.
findings
So, you have a business idea, even if it’s ridiculous. You have already conducted a study, analyzed financial risks, weighed all the pros and cons. In addition, the idea was discussed with loved ones and sincere words of support were heard from them. The prospects are tempting. And finally, you are ready for further action.
But suddenly, uncertainty appears from somewhere. You have doubts about the relevance of the study, you noticed that the interest of those close to your undertaking gradually began to fade, and in general this whole idea of becoming a businessman is a complete stupidity and a huge mistake!
You need to drop all fears and doubts and take action. And you will succeed!