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The concept that ideas aren't important is getting really old. Sure, once you have your idea, the execution and vision are what's going to make you successful.

by rewind 15y ago

The concept that ideas aren't important is getting really old. Sure, once you have your idea, the execution and vision are what's going to make you successful. But is one idea better than another? Yes. Do you want great vision and execution to go along with a brain-dead stupid idea? No. Ideas don't suck; ideas are important; ideas are the genesis for everything else talked about in this article. Sure, it's just part of the foundation of what will turn into a business, but it's often the cornerstone of that foundation.

noahc 15y ago
I'm tired of this 'ideas suck' meme on hacker news as well. For that you get the up-vote. But, You're getting it wrong in that one idea is better than another. That's not really the point. The point is that your STARTING idea sucks, while out of that could come good ideas. The point -> Groupon, restaurant ordering from your cell phone -> to reddit, paying with your cell phone -> paypal, craig's e-mail list -> craig's list. You get the idea. I think we can assume most people on HN aren't brain dead, and for those that they probably wouldn't listen to you or I anyway. So, most people's ideas on HN probably look like a slightly manipulated bell curve with less really bad ideas and slightly more really good ideas from the beginning. For most people their ideas fall in the middle. The reason why ideas are important is because they give you a foot hold to pivot from to something better. Most of the time their related (paypal, groupon) other times their not(reddit) but by executing ideas you can see where the real opportunity is. That's what people in the middle need. They need to be able to pivot their ideas quickly.
- entangld 15y ago
  "Vision without execution" is getting old too. What exactly are we calling execution? Is it the fleshing out of the idea into focused executable parts? Because we could also call that part of the idea or the vision. When I think of execution I think of deliverables. Doing what you intended to do or leaving no stone unturned. That involves thinking things out and doing them. The thinking things out part could easily be part of the idea. You can blame the success of some startups on "the execution", but you can't prove it. The success could also have come from the idea that had the most clarity. It sucks that we're not always able to picture which ideas will be successful, but that doesn't mean ideas suck.
  - rhizome 15y ago
    Execution on the technical side means implementation, while on the business side it means "finding money." It's as simple as that. Drawings/mocks, blog posts, bantering at bizsocial events, etc. don't qualify. Think of it in terms of criminals. Putting someone on Death Row is not the same as execution.
    - entangld 15y ago
      I know you said it's pretty simple, but where does finding users come up in your equation? I think that's also on the business side.
      - rhizome 15y ago
        "Finding users" is pointless if none of them are going to give you money. Don't put the cart before the horse.
gfodor 15y ago
Here, here. Exceedingly worse than a bad idea is one that is wrapped in the cloak of "vision" in order to make it sound more profound than it really is. Yes, I'm sure the founders at your coupon startup see themselves as redefining human civilization, but they're really just drinking too much of their own kool-aide.

by rewind 15y ago

noahc 15y ago

I'm tired of this 'ideas suck' meme on hacker news as well. For that you get the up-vote. But, You're getting it wrong in that one idea is better than another. That's not really the point. The point is that your STARTING idea sucks, while out of that could come good ideas. The point -> Groupon, restaurant ordering from your cell phone -> to reddit, paying with your cell phone -> paypal, craig's e-mail list -> craig's list. You get the idea. I think we can assume most people on HN aren't brain dead, and for those that they probably wouldn't listen to you or I anyway. So, most people's ideas on HN probably look like a slightly manipulated bell curve with less really bad ideas and slightly more really good ideas from the beginning. For most people their ideas fall in the middle. The reason why ideas are important is because they give you a foot hold to pivot from to something better. Most of the time their related (paypal, groupon) other times their not(reddit) but by executing ideas you can see where the real opportunity is. That's what people in the middle need. They need to be able to pivot their ideas quickly.

entangld 15y ago
"Vision without execution" is getting old too. What exactly are we calling execution? Is it the fleshing out of the idea into focused executable parts? Because we could also call that part of the idea or the vision. When I think of execution I think of deliverables. Doing what you intended to do or leaving no stone unturned. That involves thinking things out and doing them. The thinking things out part could easily be part of the idea. You can blame the success of some startups on "the execution", but you can't prove it. The success could also have come from the idea that had the most clarity. It sucks that we're not always able to picture which ideas will be successful, but that doesn't mean ideas suck.
- rhizome 15y ago
  Execution on the technical side means implementation, while on the business side it means "finding money." It's as simple as that. Drawings/mocks, blog posts, bantering at bizsocial events, etc. don't qualify. Think of it in terms of criminals. Putting someone on Death Row is not the same as execution.
  - entangld 15y ago
    I know you said it's pretty simple, but where does finding users come up in your equation? I think that's also on the business side.
    - rhizome 15y ago
      "Finding users" is pointless if none of them are going to give you money. Don't put the cart before the horse.

gfodor 15y ago

Here, here. Exceedingly worse than a bad idea is one that is wrapped in the cloak of "vision" in order to make it sound more profound than it really is. Yes, I'm sure the founders at your coupon startup see themselves as redefining human civilization, but they're really just drinking too much of their own kool-aide.