Do you believe that ideas have value?

17 replies
Everyone has an idea that they haven't brought to fruition.

The question is do you think ideas have any value?

I just did a blog post about this, and I don't believe that ideas alone have any value. I think in order for you to create value, attract investors, users and create revenue you need to have a working concept or prototype of your idea in place. Without that I don't believe there is any value.

What do you think?
#ideas
  • Profile picture of the author mikemac1
    Well, what about licensing? Many times ideas are leased/rented/sold without having to be developed.
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    • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
      Hey Brad, I'm with you 100% on that. Up until a few years ago I was developing products for the education market. I developed many dozens of products including a number that were what we call "Student Activity Kits". They were products a teacher could open up and be ready to go with in 2 minutes with their classes.

      Most of these I produced at my own place, but there were a number that required materials or processes that were simply beyond what I could do myself. I licensed a number of these to other companies. But no matter how many detailed plans I had, and no matter how much documentation I had, the first question I was always asked was, "Do you have a prototype?"

      And many times (seriously), I had prototypes made of Styrofoam and cardboard held together with duct tape.

      People are very visual, icon-based in how they learn and understand. For people interested in developing and licensing products, I would say--as you said Brad, that an idea without a model or prototype is not nearly as easy to shop around as one with even a crude model to show people. --Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Well, all I know is that when I have what I think is a great idea, I tell no one until I've implemented it. Ideas are frequently stolen or copied if not protected, so they do have value. Many people have ideas that they sell as a WSO. If they are actually unique ideas that provide value to the buyer, then the idea has value, since someone is willing to purchase it.

    Not every valuable idea will attract investors or require a manufacturer or prototype in place. Some ideas are smaller than that, but valuable none-the-less.

    Some companies hire a person (Idea Man) whose sole purpose is to come up with ideas. Would they pay someone to do that if ideas had no value?
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt-Marketing
    So true brad

    You have to know where your idea is going
    to take you and how/what you need to do
    to get it there otherwise is dead before you
    start.

    Matt
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    I think any argument for or against whether or not ideas have value is just semantics. If I have an idea, implement it, and make a million dollars, did the idea have value? Obviously it did. But the value wasn't made tangible until the idea was implemented.

    If I wouldn't have implemented my million dollar idea, does that mean the idea did not have value? No, the idea is the same and still has value, it's just unrealized value in material terms. Unrealized value does not equate to no value, IMHO.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      Unrealized value does not equate to no value, IMHO.
      Exactly. Let's go way back and imagine the first person that came up with an idea for the wheel. Who knows how many people saw a roundish rock rolling and thought, hmmm, but then never did anything about it?

      Obviously, for them (and everyone else), they didn't bring value into the world by creating the wheel. The one who brought the value into the world was the first one who started using a nice round rock or chiseled one to make it rounder, but that doesn't mean that the wheel itself was not a valuable idea.

      For the value of an idea to be realized, it must be implemented. However, the lack of implementation does not negate the value of the idea.

      It's like potential energy versus kinetic energy. You have energy in both cases, but the energy isn't working for you until you put it into motion.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aj Wilson
    I think it depends on how you "present" (sell) the idea
    and who you're "presenting" the idea too (a targeted, enthusiastic, savvy business mind etc).

    I believe ideas have "potential" value.

    and in this case, I think there's two types of "people",
    Creators and Builders.

    Creators (or dreamers), create the world...
    while Builders, Build it.

    I picked this up from somewhere, can't remember where.

    But anyhow... sounds good
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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    It is the expression of an idea that creates value in the
    marketplace, not the idea itself.

    Prototypes are a physical expression of the idea.

    Illustrations/Animations are a visual expression of the idea.

    Well written supporting documentation is an expression
    of the idea...

    All create a sense of perceived value - the precursor to
    monetary value.

    Expression of the idea is the catalyst that sparks others'
    Attention/Interest/Desire/Action to gain the benefits an
    idea promises to provide.

    Make sense?

    Best,

    Brian
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Without the idea, there is no expression of it.
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      • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
        Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

        Without the idea, there is no expression of it.
        Talk about taking the safe position...



        My contention is that an unexpressed idea
        is a daydream and has no commercial value
        in the marketplace.

        Intrinsic value? Maybe - but that's debatable.
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        • Profile picture of the author ozduc
          I think an idea has no more value than the brain cell used to think of it.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
          Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod View Post

          Talk about taking the safe position...



          My contention is that an unexpressed idea
          is a daydream and has no commercial value
          in the marketplace.

          Intrinsic value? Maybe - but that's debatable.
          lol - Brian, I think this illustrates what I said...it's all semantics.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheGraduate
    give a good idea to a millionaire, and you will see him make himself into a billionaire in a matter of days.

    a prototype can be created with money, ideas can not
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    amazing product coming soon!
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
    Originally Posted by Brad Gosse View Post

    Everyone has an idea that they haven't brought to fruition.

    The question is do you think ideas have any value?

    I just did a blog post about this, and I don't believe that ideas alone have any value. I think in order for you to create value, attract investors, users and create revenue you need to have a working concept or prototype of your idea in place. Without that I don't believe there is any value.

    What do you think?

    Right on. Ideas are plentiful. I've had some really good ones that others have followed up on and made millions. In most cases I had the idea before they did, but I did nothing with it.
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    Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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  • Profile picture of the author Don Schenk
    Years ago I envisioned a way to make canning jars that would stack with a bottom shape and top shape that would nest. Then Ball Jars came out with it.

    A couple years later I thought about coffee bags - like tea bags. Then folgers came out with it.

    So I decided to stop thinking.

    :-Don
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    • Profile picture of the author Hesaidblissfully
      Value is in the eye of the beholder. The value that something has depends on whether someone else can use it. An idea alone might be very useful to an entrepreneur who has the desire and resources to transform it into a product or service. To someone who doesn't have the resources or the will to get them then an idea is pretty much useless.
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