Entrepreneurs: Ideas are Worthless, Execution is Gold

This seems to be one of the most prominent debates between entrepreneurs: ideas vs. execution. I'm sure that a lot of us would agree that the solution isn't black-and-white, but it would still be beneficial to know how much influence ideas and execution each had in the end product and its success.

Unfortunately, the title of this post falsely suggests that it is black-and-white. And the article itself uses the same arguments I've heard everyone else with the same stance use. That seems to be the problem: we keep using the same arguments over and over again. People on either side have failed to make a convincing argument, as their arguments are getting old and repetitive.

What we need is a logical explanation to be written or even an experiment to be done on the subject. Perhaps Paul Graham might consider taking up the issue in his next essay, as I know we all enjoy reading them and I'm sure he could introduce some new arguments in the piece.

My "fresh perspective" on the subject is that ideas and execution don't occur in the ways most people expect they would. It's not as if an entrepreneur spends two weeks coming up with an idea and then six weeks executing. The ideas phase and the execution phases are intertwined, in a way where the entrepreneur will spend a portion of each day coming up with ideas as well as well as another portion executing them. Even if you believe you have the solid idea down, executing it will bring up new questions that need to be answered and thus more ideas have to be made.

However, there are usually a few days in the beginning in which the entrepreneur has to come up with the core idea, the framework for everything to come, or the initial innovation. And while the core idea is important to some extent, I actually believe the ideas that are made closer to the end of development cycle have more importance. This may sound counterintuitive since these ideas often result in small details that the user may hardly notice. But these details are like the details Steve Jobs puts in his products. These are the details that affect the user the most. They can bring the core idea to a whole new level by building on it. But without them, there is essentially nothing special about the product.

Try taking a new perspective on the old debate of ideas vs. execution. Don't forget that ideas are made at the same time as the execution process, and not just at the beginning. The core idea is important and it determines the potential success of the product, but the ideas and execution that follow determine the actual success of the product. Unless the core idea is worthless and has little potential, the ideas and execution are more important in my opinion.

MailChimp launched in 2001. It is a little late in the game to call them a start-up.

http://venturebeatprofiles.com/company/profile/mailchimp

sorry i have to disagree abit.without a great idea there is nothing to build a business around, in my opinion a good entrepreneur is a great manager of people and can creates system that allow them to be better at what they do

Title: "Ideas are Worthless" Content: "Yes, ideas are important."