This week I did a presentation to two sections of a prominant business school with an hour of Q&A in between. I fashioned it off a line I read in an article I discovered on XYDO.
Would it be crazy if (you fill in the blank).
Imagine just doing lunch with a few smart buddies in a total brainstorm session all keyed on that very line. The point is to observe those industries around you or where you share a passion, ones where the status quo is often dictating policies that exist because:
A) That’s the way we just do it.
B) Regulations force it that way
C) It just works, why change it.
D) Fill in the blank ______
So let’s have a little fun: Join in at your peril — you just might have killer idea for an amazing startup.
Would it be crazy if I could group a bunch a friends and dictate amazing savings at local businesses?
Would it be crazy if we could eliminate the fees for late video rental returns?
Netflix – Remember before streaming, it was only about having a disk sent out that you could keep forever.
Would it be crazy if I could just buy every shoe out there in a single place?
Would it be crazy if I could buy just the song I want, and do it at a known flat rate?
Would it be crazy if I actually take contol of my personal finances?
Lombard, my company that started online stock trading. In todays world — Mint.
So this is where it gets really fun. Grab a few buddies and just do lunch. Start with the “would it be crazy if” mantra and let it flow. I’d love to see in comments a few of your ideas and how you see exciting ways to change the world. Remember, ideas are worth almost nothing, it’s all in the execution. So don’t be shy.
Still, without an idea, all the other formative parts of getting a startup going cannot begin. Take a look at all the hot startups you admire, and almost without exception, the people doing them were exactly like you when they started. Strap it up, and get in the game. Nothing in life is more gratifying. After all, it’s just lunch.
