Legit or quit

Ideas are exciting. They’re fun to think up. They’re fun to build.

But sometimes we fall in love with a clever solution to a problem nobody has. Or maybe we confuse "we can build this" with "someone wants this."

I’ve seen it plenty of times.

My theory is that ideas have the best chance of getting off the ground when four things are in place: Legitimacy, Investment, Force and Trajectory. LIFT

Knowing if an idea is legit or if its time to quit is the critical first test.

Is this actually a problem worth solving, or opportunity worth pursuing? And when we say ‘worth’, how does it create value? How do we know?

If all signs point to yes, then we’re probably on to something. It’s legit.

But if there are signals that the problem isn't as painful as first thought, the market is more crowded than it seemed or the ROI doesn't hold up, then we have a choice:

• Ignore the evidence, accept the risks and push forward anyway and hope we get off the runway.
• Or quit and redirect the energy, learning and resources toward something that is legit.

The latter takes courage, but it’s also what clears the runway for the ideas that will fly.

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Read more about the LIFT FlightPlan