4

The Idea

DAVID MAMET (PLAYWRIGHT)

I TRY TO IMAGINE A FELLA SMARTER THAN MYSELF. THEN I TRY TO THIN, WHAT WOULD HE DO?

PAUL GRAHAM (Y COMBINATOR)

LIVE IN THE FUTURE, THEN BUILD WHAT’S MISSING.

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

NO BRILLIANT IDEA WAS EVER BORN IN A CONFERENCE ROOM.

IN THE START-UP WORLD, there are two parts to “the idea”: coming up with it in the first place and developing it into a true business. There are “ideation” books, blogs, resources like start-up incubator, and accelerator programs worldwide (235 at last count) that can give you a running start, but in the end, it comes down to you: your background, your feel for the market, your passion, imagination, and persistence. If we had some trove of start-up ideas, we’d either have started ...

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