Each chapter is made up of essays whose titles complete the following:
Under no circumstances should you...

Chap 1 - Getting Started - Wednesday, July 22, 2009 13:29 - Comments

…Test your idea with only one person

The funny thing about great ideas – they are most often loved by the creator and completely misunderstood by those around him or her. Imagine Evan Williams trying to explain Twitter (www.twitter.com) in 2006 to people right before he went live with it. How many people do you think told him that a) they didn’t get it or, b) it was a terrible idea?

We’ve already established that passion for the project is one of the most important factors in determining whether or not there is going to be a success or fail. People with whom you share your idea are far less likely to have the same passion for the project that you have. After all, you have come up with this idea in what you would describe as nothing less than a flash of brilliance. In fact, you have probably spent many hours thinking about this one thing; how you would create it, how it will work, and, most importantly, why people will love it. Those around you with whom you plan on sharing this idea have not, and therefore won’t care and won’t get it.

The single most dangerous thing you can do when you have a brilliant idea for some new project is to ask just one person. Overcoming the gap of single denial is treacherous and terribly important for any new venture to see the light of day. After all, you are in love with this idea, but, like most new entrepreneurs, you are probably feeling terribly self-conscious about the notion that somehow you are going to have this great idea that no one else has had. Further, you will have doubts about your ability to execute against it. It’s very easy, then, for a would-be entrepreneur to become a wayward one by virtue of the fact that they asked but one person what they thought of their idea.

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