Let’s face it. Not many people like opinions and even more people don’t like criticisms. Some even reject them without thinking much about them. Their brain will just keep telling them “What do they know about this? They know nothing!” or “What rights do they have to comment me like that!?” etc etc.

So they will just shut themselves out from everything be it positive or negative.

I’ll be honest with you. I used to be like that and will just shut myself out from all forms of opinions. It does sting and it’s not pleasant at all when someone just comes to you and say “whoa, your work sux big time, just give it up!” I’ve experienced it before and it can be very very demotivating. But those kind of opinions are pretty rare (they are out there somewhere, but there are rare).

What we need to do is to continue with our work (and work harder to improve ourselves). Ignore all these destructive opinions which are trying to bring you down instead of helping you. Get more constructive ones. There are still a lot of helpful people out there and they want to help you by telling you what is wrong. They have good intention.

So if you really want to be successful in the things you are doing, you must be willing to accept other people’s opinions. Learn to filter them properly but not shut them out altogether. Believe it or not, your willingness to accept other people’s opinions will dictate how far you go in your life.

Let’s just face the fact. One can no longer come out with something entirely unique these days. If you are the type of person who is thinking of making that one big hit with that single unique and brilliant idea…then sorry to say, you might have to wait for a long long time before you actually start something (maybe, it’s going to take you forever like what happened to some people who waited all their life for that one big break-through idea).

Having said so, I do realize that there are still a lot of people who are trying to find excuses for themselves (and their friends) for not starting out. They always say that the ideas they have are not unique, or “someone has already done it”. So they will just continue to search…and search.

Now, before people continue to search (and wait) for that one big and unique idea..maybe people should just start on whatever ideas they have even if the ideas are not unique. Because at the end of the day, it is the execution and the implementation of the idea which matter, not just the idea itself.

Therefore, the question people should ask is not “How can I come out with a unique idea which nobody has done it before?” but “How can I execute or implement this idea better than the person who has already implemented it?”
p/s……..actually this post was written nearly 2 months ago. and it might be a bit different from my regular motivational posts. I just realized I’m running out of posts this morning. LOL. Hope you guys don’t mind.

Whether an idea is good or bad, that’s another question altogether. One would need to do a proper research to find out. The important thing is never to close down an idea without even thinking about it. There’s no such thing as a bad idea in this world.

Rather than thinking whether it is a good or a bad idea, I prefer to think of it from another perspective – whether implementing the idea is something I want to do, or something which is in line with my company’s direction.

However, if you’re still thinking how to come out with ideas……..well, just learn to be more observant. Something as simple as a normal conversation might trigger some ideas. For example, some of my friends always like to say things like “how nice if we have a Facebook application which can slap a stranger for harassing people” or “how nice if we have an online book store which always gives good discount on books”, etc.

Believe me, ideas are abundant. In fact, anything which can help someone fix a problem can be considered as an idea.

Why is that so?

This is good!! Maybe we'll have an automated coffee machine as well?

Reason is simple. When everyone is having a good time in the good economy, there’s no reason why people should take such high risks and venture into something uncertain – when creativity and entrepreneurship are  concerned, it means uncertainty, even with a proper plan. People are willing to just sit down, relax, and enjoy the benefits and money that the good economy brings. After all, nobody is going to take their rice bowls away from them. And those competitors who try to be too creative? They’ll either perish before we know their name, or they’ll become very successful……….which is VERY RARE.

Well, that’s the assumption of most people anyway.

But when time is bad and economy has gone terribly wrong, some people will lose their jobs and some businesses/corporations/companies will be forced into a corner or a tight spot. Remember that I mentioned before, when one is pushed to a corner without anywhere to run……..one will be forced to take the risk which he/she was not willing to take few months before. Dire circumstances call for desperate changes. If they don’t change, they’ll just perish like the rest.

That is why when people have nothing more to lose (like jobless people), they will be willing to take up higher risks and be creative. Same goes for businesses and corporations because when the “normal way” doesn’t save them…….maybe the “abnormal way” will.

So expect to see more creative products (and sometimes useless) and ideas coming out in 2009. As consumer, let’s enjoy the ride. We deserve it! After all, our money is becoming a rare commodity in 2009!

That’s why some businesses especially the big boys don’t tend to come out with their original ideas. They steal other people’s ideas or buy from them. Well, not many buy actually, most of them prefer to steal or …improvise. For example, Apple did not come out with the first MP3 player of the world. They did come out with the first IPod in the world and the first ITunes (which is pretty similar to Napster, except you need to pay). What they did is to capture the heart of the consumers and to see what they need – performance and beauty. That is why IPod is such a big hit. It sounds better than most MP3 players and it looks a lot prettier than its competitors. Same idea, different implementation and marketing plan.

What about Google? They are definitely not the first company to come out with a search engine. We have Lycos, Yahoo, AltaVista (which..somehow..disappeared) and the terribly unsuccessful MSN Search. You might argue that Google was the engine behind Yahoo’s search engine…but that’s a totally different story. What matters here is who came out with the idea first? Maybe it’s Yahoo and maybe it’s Google…but from what I can see now, Google is far more successful than Yahoo because they redesigned the search engine and added a lot of goodies to the users. More features, better and more optimized results, but all built from the same idea.

Another example, our very own Air Asia. Are they the one who came out with the idea of budget airline? Definitely not. There are already other such ideas being implemented in the world but mainly in US and Europe. What Air Asia did was to take the idea and reimplement it in this region because nobody else has done this before. And they become a very big hit in a very short amount of time. Same idea, same implementation, different location and different timing.

From the above examples, you can see that you don’t really need to come out with a good or even great idea. Because it’s not that easy. If you can come out with one, then kudos to you but if you can’t, don’t blame yourself and it’s not the end of the world. You can still start a successful business and have a successful product. At the end of the day, it’s not just about the idea, but the way you market it, the way you position your product, the overall implementation and the timing.

So for those people who always say “Why do you want to start a business when you don’t even have a great idea? Come out with one first before you plan anything!”, maybe it’s time to reposition your stand?

The thing is, you are not alone with good business ideas. There are a lot of people with that talent and knowledge all over the world and they might have stronger will power and better access to resources than you do. But that doesn’t mean you are bound to fail, unlike what most people like to think.

Whenever I have an idea, I will talk to my friends and all of them (except for few rare ones) will say “The idea so normal, someone must have done it already” or a plain “It’s not going to work”. But I do wonder, if you don’t try, how do you know it’s not going to work? Nobody knows Facebook is going to be such a big hit, since the idea is quite simple. So don’t look down on that simple idea of yours even though everyone else is. Give it a try but start with something simple.

The message I want to bring out here is, we do have talented people in Malaysia and I have no doubt about that. The problem is that we too have many naysayers in this country. People all around us will tell us this and that idea will not  work, or someone else has already done it. What you can do is to try Google for it and if it’s not there, means it’s most probably something new or not widely known (yet). What’s next? Find some friends and start working on it. If you’re alone, you can still do it albeit at a slower pace.

The morale of the story here is….if you think you have a brilliant idea, start working on it immediately and don’t wait. Because every hour you spend waiting will increase the likelihood that your idea will be snatched by someone else.

p/s…. this is also a message for myself. I used to have ideas similar to SecondLife, Quicken and Mint.com, but I hesitated. In the end, someone else implemented those ideas before I even start my engine. Since then, I’ve told myself to try my best to start on something ASAP if I feel that something is going to be useful to other people.

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These 2 questions, I am sure, are 2 of the most common questions asked by people in their 20s and 30s…including myself. I believe it is easy to find what you are good at – whatever you like to do (during your childhood), which actually attracted a lot of compliments from your family and other adults. That, can be considered your talent(s).

But all these talents and interests are not that useful when it comes to our ever-materialistic world. With the ever-increasing inflation rate and the ever-consistent salary/bonuses (well…it can be BETTER or WORSE….and since a recession is coming….i think it’ll be the latter)…things are not going to be easy when it comes to $$$. Let me give you an example of a conversation between me and a friend.

Miss L : Alvin, I’m losing interest in my job…it’s so boring…

Alvin : What do you think you’re good at?

Miss L : I don’t know. But is watching HK drama considered a skill? I doubt right. I don’t think I can earn a living by doing that!

Alvin : Well, you can always start a web site doing reviews for HK drama…and once it is GOOD enough, you can think of directing people where to rent or buy cheap HK drama. You might be able to earn some comission from there. But it’s not going to be easy since there are already something similar out there.

Miss L : So what am I going to do?

Alvin : Be more specialized? Like …HK drama on crime and investigation? I believe if you really want to do it, there are plenty of case studies for you to look at. But are you actually willing to let go of your $ 5000 a month salary you have now?

Miss L : That’s a bit difficult. I doubt I can survive without the $ 5000.

Alvin : Then do it as a part time. Go full-time once you are able to get a steady income out of it. I know it sounds easy but it’s not THAT easy. Well, at least I guess you should try it out the things that you think you’re good at. If it doesn’t work, just throw it away and find another one. But bear in mind that it might not bring you as much money as your $ 5000 a month job.

You see, I believe there are more money making opportunities out there than the number of people attempting to grab such opportunities. But there are few questions which you need to ask before taking up these opportunities….. Are you willing to take a risk? Do you think you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur…and be your own boss? and the most important…Is this business opportunity really really meant for you? No point going for something which will help u earn money….but you’re not interested in it…and you might end up giving up halfway.

By giving up halfway…you might lose more money than you could possibly imagined. So, try for something which might not earn you a lot of $$…but something you are willing to put your heart and soul into it. Make it a part of you…. I think it’ll bring you happiness and satisfaction that money might not be able to buy.

At least, that’s what I think.

Now I’m back in my condo….but nobody is free. Parents not in, my sister busy, my sister’s bf busy……. and I have no car to go around. Sad. And it’s so freaking hot in Malaysia !! I’m swallowing ice creams to keep myself cool. 

Anyway, i’m too tired to draw a comic. Will repost 1 of my previous postings.

I came across a local magazine on Entrepreneurship last Saturday. One of the articles which caught my attention was on the habits an entrepreneur should have. To be honest, I could not remember everything there…….so…… i’ll just merge what I am able to remember, with my own personal opinion on the habits an entrepreneur should have.

Creative - An entrepreneur needs to be creative and innovative. His/her ability to create something new, or to modify something old into something useful will be very crucial in the world of entrepreneurship. The main point here is, be creative to provide value to the customer.

Good leader - A successful entrepreneur needs to be a good leader. He/she needs to know how to handle the staff as well as the business/products. A good employment policy to retain the company’s best people might be the entrepreneur’s only advantage over his/her competitors.

Good communicator – The ability to deliver the right idea across in a right way is always an important skill to have, not only to an entrepreneur but to other people as well. Being a good communicator will help the entrepreneur in sales/marketing, promoting teamwork, effective discussion with the staff, etc.

Balanced life – Being an entrepreneur means leading a very busy life. You will most probably be very occupied with your business, your employees, your customers, etc….but you should never ever abandon your personal life – your family and friends. Your family and friends will always be there to support you when your business is not in a good condition. Therefore, don’t turn away from them….neither should you turn away from your business. Strike a balance.

Hardworking - Hardworking is the next attribute an entrepreneur should have. An entrepreneur needs to work hard to improve himself/herself constantly, to come out with new ideas, to try many different things, etc.

Persistent - Persistent is the next nature of a successful entrepreneur. An entrepreneur should always have the “never-say-die” attitude. Failing once or twice, or even 99 times (like what Thomas Alva Edison did) is no big deal. The main thing is to keep carry on until you’ve succeeded.

Being an entrepreneur is nevery easy. Being a successful entrepreneur is perhaps 10x more difficult than being a normal entrepreneur. It might take a lot more than having the 7 attributes above, in order to be successful in the world of entrepreneurship.

Again, I might’ve missed out some essential attributes an entrepreneur should have. Do feel free to give me feedbacks and post up your comments if you have anything to add.

Thanks.

In the first few chapters of the book, the author talks about something called Entrepeneurship Seizure. Why most people want to start their own businesses and why most businesses failed.

There’s this example which I’ve read it somewhere…..9 out of 10 new businesses died in the first 3 years. More than 5 of the remaining businesses will die after 2 years. By the time it is 10 years……there will only be less than 3-5% of the businesses remaining……and most of them are trying to survive.

A very very scary statistic but I find it to be quite true…..especially after reading this book.

Most people i know in Malaysia want to start their own business. I’m one of them as well. True, there are also people who want a simpler life, trouble-free, etc etc. But as time goes by….inflation goes up…..more and more graduates coming out……market doing worse…… and the companies we are working for no longer give us the “things” (be it money, benefits, passions, or anything) we want……. more and more and more of us will start to think of a way out. Not to say some bosses who like to “show face” or don’t appreciate us…..  Sometimes, these things just force us to find another job elsewhere. But if you hop too much….and situation don’t change…… you will eventually come to a conclusion “Why do i need to work for this idiot? I know whatever he knows, and maybe better! What makes him think I cannot start another business and acquire this lousy company of his?”

But do you really think you should start your own business because of that? Or you want to start something because you want to earn enough money WITHOUT your presence and then retire early?

Think about it.

For me, starting my own business is definitely not about getting revenge on my bosses……nor is it about money. True, i might be able to earn more if i start my own business…..but it really really depends on what kind of business i am in. Starting a business also means i get to do the things i want……….AND a lot of things that i might not want. Whatever you are good at now is technical side of things. Are you sure you can handle both technical and business? Hire someone to do the job for you, you say? What if the person decides to leave you all of a sudden?

In my opinion, the best reason to actually start a business is to make this business a stepping stone for you and your dreams. I have dreams……..big dreams……….and dreams that i cannot achieve in my current job. In order to do that, I need to start my own business and push towards that direction. The business must be part of me, and vice versa…… and it must also help me reach the level of purpose that I am aiming for.

But that’s just me. I am sure most people don’t care about that………and most people don’t even care what they want to do except for “earn more money”.

So do feel free to share with me. Do you want to start your own business? If yes…why? And if no…why?