NaijaTalkTalk- Making your Business Idea Valuable- Ebuka Anichebe

Collins Ekip Obi

A large group of mice lived in a barn for many years. Life was wonderful, except for the sneaky black cat that prowled around. Hardly a day went by without a poor mouse being chased or even eaten by the cat. Finally, the head mouse called a meeting. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, youngster and baby mice,” he stated. “The time is now to resolve our problems with the cat. Does anyone have any solutions?”.

 

The mice were abuzz with ideas and suggestions, but none seemed to solve the problem.

Then a young mouse got up, took the floor and said boldly, “Let’s hang a bell around the cat’s neck. That way, whenever the cat is near, we’ll hear the ringing safely hide.”

The crowd applauded loudly as the mouse took his seat. They all agreed it was a damn fine idea.

Once the applause died down, an elderly mouse rose to his feet and said, “Our young friend’s plan is simple yet ingenious. Once the bell is on the cat, we’ll all live safely. But I have one brief question to put to you all: "Which one of you will volunteer to bell the cat?" No one stood up.

 

Aesop's Moral
It is much easier to propose than to execute.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. Everyone has one. Everyone claims that theirs is the next big thing since Google. The truth is, for ideas to truly have value, they must be acted upon. That's when ideas turn into innovation.

Great companies buy innovation not just ideas. Facebook bought over Whatsapp for $19billion. They bought a working model not just an idea. The same company also bought Instagram for $715million being the total aggregate value of the deal. Again they bought a working model not an idea. Of course Facebook isn't the only buyer out there, Apple bought Dr. Dre's Beats for $3billion. Uber the taxi locating app is now worth several billions in dollars, again it's a working application not an idea or blueprint stuck in someone's big hairy head.

When Walt Disney had the idea for a theme park, most people laughed at the thought. Same happened when the first shiek thought of making Dubai a tourist destination and business hub. Today millions visit both places each year. Again a working model not a vague idea.

There's a lesson here, don't just have an idea and cross your fingers hoping potential investors would buy into it. Start on developing a working model or prototype, as this would help further your cause to attract would-be-investors and clients.

Better still, act on the idea rather than talking about it in beer parlours with your friends. No one really sees the value of an idea until they see the impact it's making. Suddenly they're will to pay x2000 what you were originally asking for.

Historically great ideas are always overlooked and under-priced until people they are developed and the marketplace finds it adds value to their lives.

 

Business Moral
People don't pay top dollar for ideas. They pay only for executed ideas that have been started with initiative- they pay for innovation.‎