I have had the good fortune to work with some very smart people. Harvard MBA’s, MIT Phd’s, owners of successful companies, you name it. Not too long ago I met with an individual that I would categorize as a member of that group. He is an entrepreneur that has been on his own for several years, however, he has struggled to really “make it”. He and I met recently to discuss a number of business ideas and strategies. One of the things he wanted to talk to me about was online strategy and marketing.

He excited talked to me for several minutes about his approach to market and overall focus on why this idea of his “had legs” and how he was planning to go forward. I listened to what he thought was a great approach to market.

Suddenly, it hit me. He was wrong. Absolutely 100% off the mark.
I won’t go into the details of his plan as it would bore you, but let’s put it this way. He had formulated an approach to the market that in my mind was costly, time-consuming and a waste of effort.

In other words, he was going about the whole thing more elaborately than he should have. I explained to him that if he simply adjusted his focus a little and spent a tiny bit of time going about it a different way, he might be able to get to his market quicker and with less cost. I have to admit, I thought my approach was pretty solid, and even as I was talking, I thought - “Way to go Benny, you’ve helped this poor guy get off the ground.”

Just as I was done patting myself of the back, he paused, looked at me cock-eyed and then started to break down why he thought my approach wouldn’t work. I was dumbfounded. This guy after all called me up, asked me to lunch because he wanted help to learn how he could market his business because he knew that I could help, but instead he proceeded to tell me why I was wrong.

After about 30 minutes of going round and round, I turned to him and said, “Alright, how much do you think it will cost to get your method working and how long will it take using your plan?” I asked.

“About $25,000 and 6 months” he replied.

“Okay, my method should cost about $500 and take about 1/10 the time. Why don’t you give it a shot and tell me what happens” I replied.

Again, he started back to me as to why he believed it wouldn’t work.

“Listen,” I responded, “I’m not debating you on the merits of my plan. Part of what you need to do is just give it a blind shot of faith. If my way doesn’t work, dump it. You’ll be out $500 and a couple of weeks of work, but your technique will take MONTHS to implement and thousands more”.

We left the table and wished each other good luck. I don’t know if he’s going to try my advice or not, I hope he does, but here’s the lesson. Check your ego. Sometimes if you over think an idea, it is a waste of time for you not to take the simple road.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS