Financial Services

Working on a new, still undercover, initiative.  It has the potential to be one of the biggest things I have ever pulled off.  By the same token, it has the potential to be the most colossal failure.

The interesting thing, though, to me, is the ease at which the early stage things are going.  I am crazy.  I have crazy ideas, like, at least, once a week.  Realistically, this one is far crazier than many of the other ones that have never made it past the “google to make sure I didn’t read about it and then think it was my idea because I was up way past my bedtime when I read it” stage, or the “tell my wife I think it would be cool if someone did (insert crazy idea here) and have her tell me I need to focus on the last 4 ideas that she didn’t think were WAY TOO crazy to consider pursuing, prior to even thinking about this one” stage.

So here is my theory.  I think people won’t invest time or resources in something small.  If they think it could be done alone, then they have no reason to get involved.  They wonder why I don’t just make it happen.  They wonder why someone else hasn’t already done it, if it is truly valuable and truly simple.

So lots of (I think) good ideas get cast aside simply because I:

• cannot focus
• do not have much capital
• am fearful of being too far outside the box
• am more and more risk averse
• cannot find partners willing to tackle small side projects

Hmmm.  I guess I need to fix that.

Now, the really big take away is this.  People want to bite off more than they can chew.  They want to be inspired.  They want to tackle audacious problems with never before thought of creative solutions.  They want to go IPO in a year.  They want to stop wars, eradicate hunger and provide water to a continent. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves, something paradigm shifting, something dangerous, something beautiful.

Small thinking does not seem to get people on the phone.  But shoot someone a huge audacious vision, prove you have a plan to accomplish that vision and you never know who you might end up on the phone with next week.

What are you working on?  Is it big?  Do you need partners?