What’s the Big Idea?
When teaching entrepreneurship, most teachers and curricula focus on the components of the tried-and-tested “business plan” — the market analysis, the feasibility study, the financials, the operations, the human resources planning etc etc etc. And oh, by the way, somewhere along the way the business concept is tangentially tackled as well.
I beg to differ.
I really believe that not enough time is given on generating The Big Idea itself.
If it were up to me — which is the way i teach/facilitate it anyway — i would rather spend 80% of the time coming up and refining the business idea, and only 20% on the rudimentary elements of the business plan.
Why this unintuitive move?
It’s because of my unwavering belief that the battle could very well be won or lost on the basis of the idea alone.
Now i’m not saying that a business plan is useless. On the contrary, it’s absolutely necessary as a preparatory step in gunning for execution. Going into business without a well thought-out plan is like going to war without a strategy.
But ripping from this ‘going to battle’ analogy — do you really want to go to war with the best well-laid plan but with a pellet gun, or do you want to unleash the dogs of hell with a warhead?
Because that’s what a great business idea is. A veritable kickass nuclear bomb.
So here’s where i segue on how i bring this thing into contact with the physical plane of reality :
i’m doing an Innovation Workshop called Goldmine[d] in Kolektib, and the focus will be precisely that. The Big Idea : How on earth do we unearth (yes, repetition intended) your Great, Funky, Revolutionary, Money-making Idea?
i’m excited.
