IDEAS ARE LIKE AIRPLANES
I just finished a business negotiation with a guy in Italy; he
stays in Italy but he’s Nigerian. I feel gloomy. Reason is because the
negotiation hit the rocks. We couldn’t reach a middle ground and the price he
was asking me to pay to buy “My” website was just too ridiculous. Even if I had
the money, I’ll think twice before buying the website at that price – but I don’t
even have it!
Yes, I know you saw it – I said “My” website. Now, you’re
probably wondering, “How come someone is selling you what’s yours at a price
you can’t afford?” I’ll tell you how – I
didn’t act fast enough. That’s how.
Sometime ago, I had an idea for a service website and I
discussed it with a friend who told me it was a brilliant idea. But we need to
execute it quickly if we’re really serious about it. ‘Busy me’ kept on dragging
it and dragging it, until I was finally reading to execute (at my convenience).
I called my friend, told him it’s time to LAUNCH!... we began
doing the groundwork, collected a few information (content), and was ready to
kick off the second phase of the project – Web Design. I preferred (against
instruction) to gather the content of the site first before creating the site.
(Shey me, I’m the content person na. Content gang, clap for yourself).
The minute we tried buying the domain name, which is what web
developers do before proceeding with web design, I realized that the name in my
mind, which was the ‘perfect perfecto’ for the site had already been taken. “How?”
was the first question I asked myself probably because I had thought the name
was unique to me. Then I decided to look up the site.
As a matter of fact, the site didn’t look like much. Looked
more of a website template than a website but the design was exactly what we
wanted to do. My heart was beating fast. Hopefully the site didn’t belong to
anyone and my ethical hacker friend can help out. Lo and behold!, he traced the
ownership of the site to a guy in Italy.
I didn’t want to ask but I went ahead and asked (probably to
rub salt on the wound) “How long has he parked the domain (it’s a technical web
development term)”
“Just three months ago” my friend replied.
“Damnit!” I blurted on impulse “I had this same idea around
four months ago” I explained, like that was going to automatically switch the
ownership of the site. I rubbed my face with both my palms and decided I was
going to buy the site from the guy. He ‘kuku’ wasn’t using it (yet).
Since then, it’s been on and off phone conversations, how he
still plans on using it later in future when he comes back to Nigeria, how he
might just auction it and sell it to the highest bidder, he even had me give him
a consultation session of the website’s potentials, especially when I realized
there could be a chance for a partnership.
We’ve said our goodbyes and as I write this piece, I feel
light and bright again. Why? Because it has been a good life lesson for me and
I’ve seen the good in that experience.
Ideas can never be monopolized.
Once that idea hits your mind, believe it or not, it’s hitting
the minds of several other people. It’s now left for the first to take ACTION. If
you procrastinate like I did, you just might end up trying to buy your own idea…
and heavens smile on you like it did me, you can’t even afford the price the faster
person is calling.
Ideas are like airplanes, ask an aeronautical engineer what
happens when an aircraft is left on the ground for too long. They are not cars,
airplanes gain longevity when they are off the ground. So are ideas. It gets
worse with ideas in the sense that, if you don’t kick that brilliant idea off
the ground, someone else will jump in the pilot seat and leave you to pay for
the flight (if you can afford it).
Give that idea a lift off!
Mature Minds Talk.
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