Why Having a Great Business Idea isn’t Enough

You start something new full of enthusiasm. You get so far. It seems too big, and other things get in the way. You will do it later. Days go by, weeks go by, and the next thing you know it is two years later, and you have lost the drive to even look at it again. Does this sound familiar? It is obvious, but you won’t achieve anything if you never finish. Similarly, you will never accomplish anything if you don’t start. Successful people are not those who have a great idea. How many times have you seen a new product or service, and you think I thought of that years ago?

How I “invented” Spotify

I used to work in a computer shop as a weekend job, while at school. It was 2001, I was 17, the internet had been popular for a few years, and MP3s were the latest thing. One lunchtime, my manager and I were talking, and we came up with the idea of streaming MP3s over the internet in a pay-for-service, like a big jukebox. It was going to be great, pubs and bars would love it, their customers could pick any song in the world, and it would be played directly from the internet. Sound familiar? We hadn’t even thought about people in their homes or on mobile devices doing the same (text messages and the game, snake, were still the most significant thing on the phone. The first iPhone wasn’t to be for another six years). In one lunch-time we had invented Spotify. So, of course, we became rich overnight for our incredible insight. Yeah, right.

How I “invented” Netflix

As internet speeds increased, I had a similar idea, but this time it was movies. I had a Lovefilm subscription, where you pick movies online, and they would send you DVDs through the post, you watched them and sent them back. I thought why not cut out the post service and stream them directly from the website. You could watch whatever you wanted when you wanted, not tied to TV listings, cinema times, or even a post service, that didn’t even deliver on Sundays. I must be a genius. I had invented Netflix. With my technology portfolio growing so fast, I could retire by the time I was 25!

Just Do It

Does this ring any bells, did you have an idea, that made someone else millions or even billions? Did you feel aggrieved that they had stolen your idea? That you should now be sitting on your yacht in the Mediterranean, instead of that other insert expletive here? What was the difference between you and them? While many factors may have made it easier for them to get to where they are: money, contacts, or an existing business infrastructure, the most likely answer is pretty simple. They finished it. They didn’t just have the idea; they worked out how to make it happen and then just did it. I am not the CEO of Spotify or Netflix, because the idea stayed just that, an idea. I didn’t plan how to take those ideas and to turn them into a successful reality. Years passed by, someone else had the same idea, put it into action, and are now reaping the rewards. Don’t get me wrong ideas are essential, if you don’t have the idea then you don’t have a goal. However, you must take action. Having a great idea isn’t enough. SwiftCase helps thriving businesses, swamped by growing demand, automate and organise, to focus on what matters — loved by 1000s of users across Insurance, Finance, Legal, Service & Contractor sectors.