Likewise, in conversation an idea can sound terrible, but in actualization the idea can become a compelling product. People will swear up and down that they would buy a product you describe if only it were available, and then fail to do so as soon as it is.
Give people what they need, not what they say they need - interviews are tricky. To make a great company, stop and ensure that your need is broadly felt, and that your solution is broadly applicable - not everyone spends their life in front of a computer, remember. Build what you know - this is the most basic advice of idea generation: scratch an itch you have yourself. One good test: when the New York Times Magazine puts out its annual " Year in Ideas" issue, is your idea in it? Then don't do it. If the idea is that obvious, the market will be filled with competitors, and you'll find yourself scrambling. Immediate yes is immediate no - does everyone immediately tell you your idea is great? Run away from it. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." To quote Howard Aiken: "Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If you keep your secrets from the market, the market will keep its secrets from you - entrepreneurs too often worry about keeping their brilliant secrets locked away we should all worry much more about springing a surprise on a disinterested market (anyone remember the Segway?). Find yourself waking up out of bed to write down new ideas about it? That's a good one to choose. Can't get yourself to do anything on it? Move on. Pay attention to that! Just start working on it. Sometimes an idea catches hold of you and you find you can't put it down. Pay attention to the idea that won't leave you alone - this is taken from Paul Hawken's Growing a Business. Make the jump into your business when you have considered the fear, and come out more excited than afraid. Jump when you are more excited than afraid - lack of fear is irrational, and too much fear is debilitating. Once you start moving, you will find that people start to carry you along. Make something, anything, that people can see and touch and try. Momentum builds on itself - just start. Too much prudence edges away from research and into procrastination. It's terrible to let an excess of this become a impediment to getting started. Prudence becomes procrastination - it's great to research your market and talk to potential buyers about your ideas. Plan as many paths to success as possible for your company, and always have a Plan B when acquisition (or whatever path you choose first) doesn't work. People who start out with only one goal, to sell to a big portal, will find their options are too limited. 
Building to flip is building to flop - this is taken from Jason Fried, and he's right. Most entrepreneurs fail several times before succeeding, too, so losing is both terrible and nearly inevitable. If your backers include friends or family, it's extremely difficult to have to tell them the company is closing and their money is gone. O reilly timing light professional#
Professional investors are grown-ups, but it's still extremely disheartening to lose the money people invested based on belief in you. It affects your home life, your health, your job prospects, your financial stability. Losing sucks - shutting down a company is unbelievably difficult.
And of course there are sometimes financial rewards, although it's still a great job regardless. Working in an environment you shaped to your own beliefs about how a company should be run is incredible (and humbling!). You no longer have to say, "Well, I'm just an engineer, but." - you have a great excuse to take an interest in everything. Every day your job is new and different you constantly have to push yourself in new directions. It's good to be king - being an entrepreneur is the best job I've had.These are basically little nuggets of wisdom for bite-sized nutrition. I liked the format of a Go book I recently read, called (not surprisingly!) " Proverbs," and decided to adopt it for the talk. I started out this year's talk with a set of "proverbs" I've collected or thought up over the years.
"Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?" Right. I gave a talk at ETech on Monday called "Entrepreneuring for Geeks." I've given this general talk a few times now - how can the more technically minded among us move into making companies of our own? I really enjoy the talks because I really enjoy entrepreneurs at least, I enjoy the ones who are really excited about making something fantastic through their efforts.
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