Finally, we launched Pitch Club! Here's what happened.

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!

I’ve been reading a bit about Solopreneures. Here's the bill of rights for Solopreneur, I like it but something is missing. Sites talk about them like Solopreneur Zone however, the spin is that we are talking about a freelance consultant/contractor rather than a Solopreneur per se. So what are they, these creatures they refer to as Solopreneures.

For me, the Solopreneur is managing a portfolio of entrepreneurial risks. The primary one is his/her own abilities to generate income as a contractor or consultant in whatever field of endeavor they choose, of course, I accept that, we all have to feed ourselves (and families). They can do this direct with the market or through a series of relationships. They can bill time and materials or take a retainer.

They are however, also managing startup business/social ventures that, particularly in the 'online' space or new technology environment, that are highly speculative, that need little or no cash investment. They have a few going at any one time, the more the better.

The point is that in a highly regulated commercial environment like Australia, purist views of the entrepreneur's are a fiction in my opinion. Sure there are savvy business entrepreneur's out there, but VERY few investors (groups or individuals) are interested in backing the plethora of entrepreneurial ventures in the Australian market. The culture here is totally not interested in supporting new ideas regardless of how many programs the Government rolls out.

Furthermore, few Entrep's have the time, money and contacts to deal with the VC's in Australia, and its also the case that Aussie VC's don't really care for startups.

The Solopreneur by definition is the startup king/queen. A leper to the established business community, until the het a gold vein... then, they have many friends.

For me the Solopreneur is the true freedom fighter in a very new new world. They say to the Investor/VC, "look mate, I'll go it alone, you catch up when ever". They say to the Job Market, "I'll deal with it,... down shift, whatever is necessary to be free of having to stick my hand out like the modern day white collar slave".