Taking an idea to a sustainable business is the goal of every business owner. It all starts with an idea, a dream if you will. How can I deliver a superior product to the marketplace? How can I offer a service that will solve a problem? How can I take a successful mainland concept and make it work in Hawaii?
These are all the things we dream about every day.
Few of these ideas, however, become reality.
This is probably a good thing.
When I was in high school I wanted to own a coffee shop with a used record store (yes, I’m that old!) and a used book store. Those were the things I loved: coffee, pastries, music and books. This was in the 1980s and I lived in a university town, so I thought this would be a can’t miss business. Well, not much later Amazon was beginning its dominance of the book business; Starbucks was settings up chain coffee stores with vigor, and Apple was setting the foundation for legal digital music distribution. My dream would have been crushed and I’m certain my business would have failed. Fortunately, I didn’t follow that dream and I now live in Kona, Hawaii with some of the world’s best coffee; I get a pastry now and then from a local bakery; I listen to streaming music online; and, most of the books I read are on a tablet computer. And, best of all, I’m not a failed coffee/book/music store owner!
Here is a great TED talk on ways to kill your dreams: