Ideas are amazing things.

Something happens and ‘pow’, you get it! Or it just emerges over a period of time. I’m talking about that awesome idea, product or venture that keeps creeping back into your head begging for something to be done with it. But what?

As mentioned above, there are many ideas spawned across the planet. The assumption is that the ones that don’t make it were just not developed enough, or as the MBA’s say, ‘feasible’.

Some of these idea originators visit an accountant, lawyer and maybe a friend, which is little more than an exercise in getting ‘buy-in’ from people who you believe ‘know about these things’. The truth is that few accountants and lawyers are equipped to provide any real guidance with respect to ventures. On the positive side, this is an activity that has the makings of an evaluation of sorts.

My experience is that people, generally, don’t have access to frameworks to evaluate their idea so they can actually make decisions on going forward, changing tack or stopping altogether.

They assume they just don’t have the money and time, but again, my experience is that this is generally not the case.

How can one decide they don’t have the money and the time, if they don’t know how much they need with any certainty.

Using the metaphor of climbing a mountain, you need to know the mountain exists (validate your assumption), know how to get to it (road map), equip yourself for the journey (tools, skills) and, if possible, take someone with you who can act as a guide,..not a leader,.. the leader?

That’s you!