Your Idea Most Probably Sucks
Why The Team is What Matters
Let me start with this: Most ideas are really bad initially. No matter how proud you are of the idea and what you are building, initially it probably sucks. It probably sucks because most people won’t believe in it, they will say it is too hard, too expensive, too stupid or too smart. Very few people will believe in you, and even if they do, they are just saying it because they don’t want to hurt your feelings.
Maybe there is one in a thousand ideas that is pretty cool, but other than that: ALL of them suck. Now let me tell you what matters: YOU.
If we look at what most successful early investors think when deciding whether to invest in the startup is not the idea itself, but the team behind the idea.
Even Y-Combinator states on their application that most approved teams are then directed to work on another idea. The reason is that no matter how beautiful an idea is, a bad team will bring it to the ground; and no matter how bad an idea is, an amazing team will make sure it flourishes.
Execution is the whole game, no startup stays with its initial idea because they do not know what the market fit even is, and investors know this. Facebook started as a university “Who is cuter” ranking website. Netflix rented physical DVDs etc…
Your idea won’t last but the team will. Remember that when the hype of cool “Web-3” or “AI” ideas come to your head.
You are the reason your startup fails or succeeds, not the idea.
If you like what you are reading, read our guideline on how startups can flourish in bear markets here.