I just heard a radio ad for a product I thought of a few years ago. Turns out it was a good idea, but this isn’t about me or my idea.
If you’re in business and struggling to gain traction, this will inspire you you.
…or if you have traction but have hit a plateau
…or if you have an idea you want to bring to the world.
Now, I could get depressed about this. “Missed a big one!” I could try to chase it now that the idea has been validated, making a competing product…
Nope.
Instead I’m happy to hear someone made it, because I never took the time to go after it. I was too busy with a dozen other things at the time.
Good for them.
I Googled them and checked out their site, and I read their story.
They started working on it in 2010. That was nine years ago! Their execution pre-dated my “idea” by a few years.
There are a few lessons from this:
Ideas are not unique. Don’t protect them from others out of fear, you’re only hurting the chances they’ll become something real. There are exceptions to this – use discretion when sharing them publicly on the internet, in Facebook groups, etc.
Success is not an overnight occurrence. It takes years to make a sudden success.
In order to make it through that time, your head and heart have to be in the right place. You actually have to want that thing you’re creating to be in the universe, to improve the lives of the people that use it. If you just want a quick buck you’ll need a shit-ton of luck, and you’ll probably give up before you make it.
Once you gain traction, immediately start thinking bigger and longer term. It’s a giant world.
It took nine years before someone who wanted this product (me) to even hear about it – and I’ve looked for it.
It wasn’t where I looked, didn’t use the search terms I did, or whatever.
Nine whole years later, I finally hear about it, and find out it’s somewhat widely distributed. There are probably only a few million more people that haven’t heard of it and would be buyers.
Just imagine how many more sales are out there for them.
Imagine how many more sales are out there for you.
Imagine how many more sales are out there for you.
Go get them.
