Successful companies are rarely the byproduct of a novel idea or exceptional insight.
In fact, many that rise to the top do so while solving relatively simple problems.
Consider that the idea for Evernote was a note-taking app. From that simple concept grew a company with a user base of over 200 million strong.
Or look at Reddit. It’s one of perhaps thousands of online forums. Yet it now commands the #7 spot as one of the most visited websites on the internet.
And then there’s Medium. The popular blogging platform began in 2012 and now attracts over 60 million monthly readers.
A note-taking app, an online forum, and a blogging platform.
They weren’t world-changing ideas. And they had all been done before.
So if it’s not the idea that matters, to what can we attribute these internet success stories?
Execution.
Good ideas are good enough. It’s your ability to turn that idea into something real and useful that creates lasting value.
What’s true for building companies is also true in our careers.
We can drag our feet while we wait for the perfect idea, job offer, or opportunity. Or we can choose to move forward with what we have and improve as we go.
Sometimes it helps to ask ourselves…
Am I wasting my time waiting for the perfect idea?
When does more planning become a convenient excuse to put off doing the work?
What could I learn if I got started today?
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