Idea Dilletantism

The internet space is awash with enthusiasm these days.  I'm sure multiple new startups go public every. single. day.

Several times a week I encounter startups who are either soliciting for job candidates, or entrepreneurs soliciting for a partner.  It's incredibly difficult to try and decide when and where to make the leap.

In retrospect it looks like I made a mistake not joining blist.com "way back" in ~May 2007.  But there have also certainly been many that I'm thankful to have not joined.

I think there are a ton of open business opportunities waiting to be plucked on the web at the moment, and speed to market is going to make a big difference.  I'm also struck by the repeated message I hear that execution is more important than the idea.  I think that makes particular sense with a lot of web-apps because it's easy for the user to  jump ship.  So, if you make a product in the same niche but execute better, people won't see a huge barrier to just moving over to using yours instead. (email, social networks, etc. being the exceptions).

Anyway, with so much enthusiasm for new business models, I think one thing you've got to do is resolve to stick to the same idea long enough to follow thru until you're rich or you're SURE it's a failure. ;o)

The problem is: new opportunities that seem even HOTTER than one's current project can pop up.  For example: when the iPhone opens a land-rush for market space by releasing an SDK and 3 months to launch. ;o)

One product completed is worth more than 10 products half-completed.  So don't be an Idea Dilletante.  ;o)  Find one and stick with it, for at least a little while...