A while ago, a friend called me, full of excitement, and said, “What if you could visit a website and find all the recipes you usually eat, without

buying more ingredients than you have in your fridge? I’ll start building the website to offer this service!”

Of course, we all know there can be a gap between a good idea and a good start. But many people don’t know how to bridge that gap. So, I carefully tried not to

crush my friend’s hopes, and suggested he complete the following analysis and research as a precaution before spending his life savings and other people’s money.

.

1. Is your lifestyle ready for this venture?

If you’re currently employed, starting a business will require you to change your life. Don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s a quick way to get rich, or a way

to escape your problems. Starting a business takes a great deal of persistence and learning, and you won’t reap the rewards until the long term. Take an honest look at yourself before

rushing into it.

.

2. Are there customers willing to pay?

Your personal belief that if you love your idea, everyone will love the solution you’ve created is important, but it isn’t enough. Customers may be “interested” in your idea,

but generally they’ll only pay for something they “need,” whether that need is physical or emotional. Or the people who need it may not have enough money. Talk to

industry experts (professional chefs and cooking enthusiasts), and listen for hidden needs and challenges.

.

3. Is the business opportunity large and continuing to grow?

Once again, don’t rely on your personal preferences and opinions to assess it. Look for market analysis data from neutral, trusted sources—that means companies

Well-known national studies and research from Gartner, Forrester, IDC, and many others.

4. Is this space already crowded?

Use Google to search for solutions that already exist in your chosen field. One search result you may want to look at is “recipes using ingredients you already have.”

If you find 10 competitors offering this service, your idea probably isn’t worth pursuing.

.

5. Does your solution come with dependencies and hidden costs?

Many products fail because of dependencies and hidden costs. For example, hydrogen-powered cars are great and environmentally friendly,

but when they need maintenance or repairs, you may not be able to find a conveniently located service center. Make sure you’ve taken all the costs and related considerations into account.

From sales and marketing channels to the culture of the community.

.

6. Do you own the intellectual property rights to defend yourself against competitors?

 قد لا يكون محلك ظهر للعلن بعد، و لكن عندما يمتلك أحد شهادة الملكية الفكرية لهذا الحل سيعرض مشروعك at risk. Search again for

Google Patent و في US Patent Office

your idea—or, of course, you can pay a lawyer thousands of dollars to search for you.

.

7. Can you build a capable, motivated team?

It’s hard to build a complete project on your own. You need to bring together, motivate, and manage a team—and don’t forget development, sales, partners, and customers. New projects

are challenging for experienced professionals and passionate founders, but others will fail, so don’t be one of them. A stubborn, unruly introvert—or a procrastinator (slacker)—

لن ينجح.

.

8. Have you calculated the actual costs?

عادةُ رواد الأعمال Passionate people tend to draw up optimistic plans, overestimate their initial sales, and underestimate costs. To turn your passion into tangible business value,

draw up a realistic business plan that accounts for your financial commitments and the costs of your startup’s future goals, and have a specialist review it.

.

9. Do you have the skills and stamina?

As the founder of a new company, remember that the ball is always in your court. You’re the only one to blame. Most startups fail because their founders give up, not because they run out of

money or time. Focus on continuous learning and growth. If you’ve run into problems with more than one company you’ve tried to build, you may be part of the problem.

.

10. Are you moving “away from” something rather than “toward” something?

What does this question mean? If you’re desperate to get out of a particular role, you’ll sneak into Entrepreneurship, but you’ll find it more demanding and exhausting than the job.

People who feel well qualified but are dissatisfied or bored in their current jobs are more likely to succeed in entrepreneurship

For those who feel burned out at work, underappreciated, or overwhelmed by stress, remember that the grass always looks greener on the other side. Don’t rush.

I always advise entrepreneurs not to quit their day jobs until they’re seeing real profits from their startups.

I’m sure many of you have more to add to these “precautions” based on your own experiences, some of which may have been bitter. By the way, if your experience

working with a team or having limited resources is holding you back, it’s better to pass the idea on to people who are equipped to pursue it than to selfishly sit on it or take it down a path toward

failure on your own. No one succeeds that way.

.
And if you’re wondering what happened to my friend’s idea, try the search I suggested to him and you’ll find dozens of websites with the same idea. No

There’s no need to say that my friend decided to give up on his idea. But I’m sure he’ll come back with another one, and one day someone will bring one of his ideas to life—and regret not doing so sooner, because

الكلام فقط لا ينشئ الشركة.