Stop With The Ideas

[Andy Black]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea".

Especially when it's an "idea for an app".

Especially when you say you "can't reach an audience to test it".

Especially when it'll take a minimum of 6 months to "go live".


Having ideas suggests you're in your head theorising, rather than out there engaging the market.


It reminds me of the line "Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are."

If you tell us what you've *done* will that make you a navel-gazer or an action-taker?

Want to get started in business faster?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who have I helped?
• What have I helped them with?
• What will I do to help someone new, today?
• What will I do to help someone and get paid, this week?

Thread inspired by these recent threads:

 

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[Salsa]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea"

What if we're posting with the intent of concept feedback? Idk its just cool to get a second opinions from other people else, helps with brainstorming.

 

[Kak]

I call this boss seeking behavior.

Unfortunately almost everyone in the world is programmed for 18-25 years that they need permission to do literally everything. Entrepreneurship flies in the face of everything we are taught.

Now it manifests in posts that lack even a drop of confidence in oneself:

- "Is my idea good?"
- "Do I have permission to pursue this without being an idiot?"
- "How do I make sure my idea... blah blah?"

And then 9 times out of 10, people with 500 dollars to their name show up to lead the blind and shit all over the idea because it's not "online enough," or their completely incorrect interpretation of fastlane, or it seems too hard.

Most ideas, executed properly, will make money.

Someone recently wanted permission to start a restaurant. Most of these "brilliant" thinkers showed up to shit on it as an unscalable horrible idea. I know a guy that owns a couple of hamburger joints and does $2m a year, an awesome little business. I have met another one that started with restaurants and now owns a sports team and has billions. That is more money than any of those negative respondants will ever make.

Don't seek a boss. Particularly here. As an entrepreneur, the buck stops with you. Make the best decisions you can and much more importantly, move.

Once you have a clearer view, you can apply what you've learned and steer the ship. But you can't steer the ship from harbor.

Thanks @Andy Black for this thread. I think its a good one to drop in these idea threads forever.

 

[Salsa]

@Kak ... Thats a vaild pov. I guess the process is trial and error, and trusting yourself. That makes me feel much more confident when looking at from that prospective

 

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[PetitBourgeoisie]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea",

Gold, getting trapped in the brainstorming phase can waste a lot of time, IME.

I call this boss seeking behavior.

and more Gold, had a big awakening on this Q4 of last year.

Only thing I'd contribute is that in my own experience: I got into my business off of looking at what was already working for other people, since they'd already found Demand/an audience. For guys at that brainstorming stage...

 

[Andy Black]

What if we're posting with the intent of concept feedback? Idk its just cool to get a second opinions from other people else, helps with brainstorming.

What matters is what your market thinks.

"Do you think this will work?"

"I won't do X because there's probably too much competition."

"I won't do Y because a YouTuber said everyone's doing it."

"Andy said this."

"Kak said that."


I've seen people advising not to do dropshipping, when I had an eCommerce client doing very well dropshipping some of the products on his website that he didn't have in his warehouse.

I've seen people advising that print-on-demand is for dummies, when I know a guy spending $100k/mth on Facebook Ads to sell POD t-shirts.

Don't ask about your idea. Ask advice on what to do with results you have from engaging the market.

Check out the progress threads that have people diving in to help. The poster talks about actions taken and the good or bad results.

What theory do you have? What did you do to test it? What was the result? What conclusions do you have? What will you do next?

 

[Andy Black]

@kak ... Thats a vaild pov. I guess the process is trial and error, and trusting yourself. That makes me feel much more confident when looking at from that prospective

@Kak ... your work is done.

 

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[Andy Black]

Unfortunately almost everyone in the world is programmed for 18-25 years that they need permission to do literally everything. Entrepreneurship flies in the face of everything we are taught.

^^^ This!!!

We've literally been taught to think this way.

Curious what you think of this 8 minute ramble/mild rant @Kak:

MINDSET - Start Faster. Stop "Learning".

If you're just getting started, haven't made a sale, or feel you're spinning your wheels then this 8 minute video should help. It's pulled out of a longer call (also linked below). Curious what your main takeaways are, and what you'll do different going forward. View...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

[parabolic]

Ideas are shit. Execution is gold. Be an alchemist and transmute shit into gold.

 

[Kak]

^^^ This!!!

We've literally been taught to think this way.

Curious what you think of this 8 minute ramble/mild rant @Kak:

MINDSET - For those getting started - Stop learning & overthinking. Just go off and do it

I did a call to help teens, students, and others get started in business. This 8 minute extract seems to help people so I've created a separate thread for it. I'll upload the transcription shortly, and copy/paste other people's takeaways below. What's your takeaways? What will you do...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Yes. It's like the standard protocol around here for new entrepreneurs to give the world 700 opportunities to talk them out of their "idea."

"My penniless cousin, dad, brother, grandpa, and uncle all told me not to."

Stop going to "the world," the world is lobotomized to shut up, follow directions, get outraged at the proper things, and consume.

If you go looking for reasons not to start, you will absolutely find them... Particularly when you look to lazy and jealous NPCs for advice.

I have spent countless hours talking about stuff like this...

You Don't Need Easy - Ep 237

Listen to this episode from Kyle Keegan Radio Show on Spotify. For today's episode I was inspired by a thread on thefastlaneforum.com that was discussing if it is easy to make money in 2021. There was a lot said about this, but I dove in and came to the conclusion that some things are harder...

open.spotify.com

They Bought The Parachute and Didn't Jump - Ep 260

Listen to this episode from Kyle Keegan Radio Show on Spotify. Now they want to tell you it's ok not to as well. Want to keep "Killing Bigger?" Text KKRS to: 713-528-8219 Telegram Community: https://t.me/killbigger Twitter: https://twitter.com/killbiggerradio Parler...

open.spotify.com

Starting Something New - Ep 316

Listen to this episode from Kyle Keegan Radio Show on Spotify. Pre-starting inaction goes on trial today. I was trying to think of a great transition out of the bulletproof mindset series and starting always seems to be the most asked question. I dive right into it.I set out to answer these...

open.spotify.com

I’m Unreasonable and YOU Should Be Too - Ep 333

Listen to this episode from Kyle Keegan Radio Show on Spotify. “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” ― George Bernard ShawTelegram Community...

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Redefining Comfort: The Enemy Of Progress - Ep 268

Listen to this episode from Kyle Keegan Radio Show on Spotify. PT Barnum once said "comfort is the enemy of progress" I agree, so let's redefine what comfort is to us. What do you actually want? What is a cop out? Let's be uncomfortable with anything short of what we actually want. Text KKRS to...

open.spotify.com

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

Check out the progress threads that have people diving in to help. The poster talks about actions taken and the good or bad results.

What theory do you have? What did you do to test it? What was the result? What conclusions do you have? What will you do next?

I like your approach @Andy Black, I think it would give the forum a better direction if followed.

I think part of the issue is that there are a lot of beginners on the forum, just getting started.

Like most of the things I think about in my business, I can’t discuss here. If I post a thread, I get 1-2 answers, because there are just 1-2 people who have dealt with such issues and have relevant expertise.

So I think due to the fact that the vast majority of members don’t even have businesses, it’s difficult for this to be a place to explore more advanced topics.

 

[Intax]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea",

... especially when it's an "idea for an app",

... especially when you say you "can't reach a wider audience to test it",

... especially when it'll take a minimum of 6 months to "go live".


Having ideas suggests you're in your head theorising, rather than out there engaging the market.


It reminds me of the line "Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are."

Does what you've done make you a navel-gazer or an action-taker?


Who have you helped?

What have you helped them with?

What will you do to make a sale, this week?

What will you do to help someone, today?


EDIT: Thread inspired by these recent threads:

Great. Thanks for sharing. I think being practical, hands on and just trying things out without overthinking is just a completely different way of doing things than the usual overthinking/overplanning approach that we often take. It’s not because this person is not able to do better. It’s rather how we’ve learned it in school and how most people learned to work.

So it’s great that you keep reminding everyone to just focus on taking action and helping people. It’s always uplifting reading your posts

 

[Aidan04]

I call this boss seeking behavior.

Unfortunately almost everyone in the world is programmed for 18-25 years that they need permission to do literally everything. Entrepreneurship flies in the face of everything we are taught.

Now it manifests in posts that lack even a drop of confidence in oneself:

- "Is my idea good?"
- "Do I have permission to pursue this without being an idiot?"
- "How do I make sure my idea... blah blah?"

And then 9 times out of 10, people with 500 dollars to their name show up to lead the blind and shit all over the idea because it's not "online enough," or their completely incorrect interpretation of fastlane, or it seems too hard.

Most ideas, executed properly, will make money.

Someone recently wanted permission to start a restaurant. Most of these "brilliant" thinkers showed up to shit on it as an unscalable horrible idea. I know a guy that owns a couple of hamburger joints and does $2m a year, an awesome little business. I have met another one that started with restaurants and now owns a sports team and has billions. That is more money than any of those negative respondants will ever make.

Don't seek a boss. Particularly here. As an entrepreneur, the buck stops with you. Make the best decisions you can and much more importantly, move.

Once you have a clearer view, you can apply what you've learned and steer the ship. But you can't steer the ship from harbor.

Thanks @Andy Black for this thread. I think its a good one to drop in these idea threads forever.

Unlearning this behavior is the most important thing we can do at this age.

Don't ask permission from anyone, and if you really need feedback, gather a few experienced people, and privately lay your plans out in detail. (@Spenny @Mikkel @RightyTighty)

As you said, if anyone tells your your business isn't "online" enough, they're drinking the kool-aid. A lot of people think that the only companies you can start are "startups". What a bullshit notion.

Yes web companies have great margins and scalability, but there are SO many more problems and needs and wants that exist in the physical world you can fulfill.

Personally, the past few years have been valuable learning experiences for me, making heavy mistakes and failures in the process of creating physical products.

Now, with my accumulated knowledge and experience, I feel capable to build and execute a physical product correctly.

I'm glad I have completed this metamorphosis by 19 instead of 32.

 

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[Jon822]

Great post. I've tested plenty of ideas for less than $50. No matter how smart or experienced a Fastlaner is who responds to a "rate my idea" thread, it is a guess. The market always gives the right answer so you might as well check with the answer key instead of asking a friend and hoping he/she gets it right. Imagine how many successful opportunities didn't materialize because they were stopped by a guess.

 

[Panos Daras]

What matters is what your market thinks.

"Do you think this will work?"

"I won't do X because there's probably too much competition."

"I won't do Y because a YouTuber said everyone's doing it."

"Andy said this."

"Kak said that."


I've seen people advising not to do dropshipping, when I had an eCommerce client doing very well dropshipping some of the products on his website that he didn't have in his warehouse.

I've seen people advising that print-on-demand is for dummies, when I know a guy spending $100k/mth on Facebook Ads to sell POD t-shirts.

Don't ask about your idea. Ask advice on what to do with results you have from engaging the market.

Check out the progress threads that have people diving in to help. The poster talks about actions taken and the good or bad results.

What theory do you have? What did you do to test it? What was the result? What conclusions do you have? What will you do next?

I think there's a lot of truth in this post. A business might not work for someone else, but it could be great for you if you have the right skills.

Each business is unique and meets different needs. Remember, you won't know if something's right for you until you try, and that might mean failing at first. If you fail, just learn from it and do better next time.

It's best to focus on areas where your skills really shine. I've tried doing things I wasn't so good at in the past, and honestly, it's not the best idea.

 

[Kevin88660]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea",

... especially when it's an "idea for an app",

... especially when you say you "can't reach a wider audience to test it",

... especially when it'll take a minimum of 6 months to "go live".


Having ideas suggests you're in your head theorising, rather than out there engaging the market.


It reminds me of the line "Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are."

Does what you've done make you a navel-gazer or an action-taker?


Who have you helped?

What have you helped them with?

What will you do to help someone, today?

What will you do to make a sale, this week?



EDIT: Thread inspired by these recent threads:

View attachment 52986

Good ideas are ideas that are at least valid on paper/in theory. Of course executing them and expecting things to turn out your way is much harder.

Biased towards action should be the recommended path if the cost failure on time and money in small. At worst you will learn something and bring new skills into the toolkit.

 

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[Andy Black]

I think there's a lot of truth in this post. A business might not work for someone else, but it could be great for you if you have the right skills.

Each business is unique and meets different needs. Remember, you won't know if something's right for you until you try, and that might mean failing at first. If you fail, just learn from it and do better next time.

It's best to focus on areas where your skills really shine. I've tried doing things I wasn't so good at in the past, and honestly, it's not the best idea.

Yes. Consider Product-Founder fit, not just Product-Market fit.

 

[Ing]

Stage one is the euphorism idea stage , stage two the oh, its hard frustration stage, stage three I just forgot ( I allways fail there), Stage 4 is the get your shit done stage and stage 5 the fukkn harvest stage.

As most people switch after stage 2, you read countless idea threads.
As most people switch to the next thing, stage 1 and 2 restarts. Again and again. That s why there are so many "idea" red flags you see, as You know that!

Bth the way, I have ...no idea....

 

[Andy Black]

I have ...no idea.

I'd say that puts you ahead of many.

People new to entrepreneurship think they need a big idea and that everyone in business knows exactly what they're doing.

If only they knew most entrepreneurs focus on helping people and have no idea how they'll do it but just get started.

 

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[nyitdom]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea",

... especially when it's an "idea for an app",

... especially when you say you "can't reach a wider audience to test it",

... especially when it'll take a minimum of 6 months to "go live".


Having ideas suggests you're in your head theorising, rather than out there engaging the market.


It reminds me of the line "Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are."

Does what you've done make you a navel-gazer or an action-taker?


Who have you helped?

What have you helped them with?

What will you do to help someone, today?

What will you do to make a sale, this week?



EDIT: Thread inspired by these recent threads:

View attachment 52986

Thank you for the feedback. Now that my ego is hurt I have to put up with actually making the business happen. My current limiting belief is a competitor website, but it wont stop me from doing it. If you spot any other issue relating to my thinking, mention it, so I can learn from your expertise.

Thank you Andy Black

 

[Andy Black]

I swear...

 

[Intax]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea".

Especially when it's an "idea for an app".

Especially when you say you "can't reach an audience to test it".

Especially when it'll take a minimum of 6 months to "go live".


Having ideas suggests you're in your head theorising, rather than out there engaging the market.


It reminds me of the line "Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are."

If you tell us what you've *done* will that make you a navel-gazer or an action-taker?

Want to get started in business faster?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who have I helped?
• What have I helped them with?
• What will I do to help someone new, today?
• What will I do to help someone and get paid, this week?

EDIT: Thread inspired by these recent threads:

View attachment 52986

I like your hands-on approach and agree that for most people this is the better way to start rather than to think about an idea. However, from my experience, it's important to also think about the business case and how many people similar to this person you want to help exist if you plan to build a big business.

In our startup, we were able to significantly help some individuals but sadly there weren't many other similar customers like them. Like this, it's hard to build a profitable business around these customers. Currently, our strategy involves identifying a target group that is not only large enough but also financially viable, ensuring the potential to build a profitable business. Of course, helping them is the deciding factor if the business succeeds.

 

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[ALL$NTMC]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea".

Especially when it's an "idea for an app".

Especially when you say you "can't reach an audience to test it".

Especially when it'll take a minimum of 6 months to "go live".


Having ideas suggests you're in your head theorising, rather than out there engaging the market.


It reminds me of the line "Tell me what you've done and I'll tell you who you are."

If you tell us what you've *done* will that make you a navel-gazer or an action-taker?

Want to get started in business faster?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who have I helped?

• What have I helped them with?

• What will I do to help someone new, today?

• What will I do to help someone and get paid, this week?

EDIT: Thread inspired by these recent threads:

View attachment 52986

Yesss Let the market dictate what is needs no matter how strange it may seem!

 

[Andy Black]

it's important to also think about the business case and how many people similar to this person you want to help exist if you plan to build a big business

100%

Getting one person to pay doesn't mean there's a viable business.

 

[insight_space_kz]

One of my biggest red flags is the word "idea".

Hi! Your post sounds interesting. I'm going to test your philosophy. And it would be interesting for me to know what results do you have by using this mindset.

 

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