Get the idea?

A nice piece by Chris Dixon on why ideas matter…they are part of a plan.

“In response to this pop culture misconception, it has become popular in the startup community to say things like “execution is everything” and “ideas don’t matter”.

But the reality is that ideas do matter, just not in the narrow sense in which startup ideas are popularly defined. Good startup ideas are well developed, multi-year plans that contemplate many possible paths according to how the world changes.”

Dixon gives a nice list of places to look when vetting an idea, and brings up the old chestnut that competition doesn’t really matter. That’s a trend you’ll notice among experienced product/startup people. Focusing on competition is a distraction. If you do have competition, you’ll probably both benefit from a rising of the tide.

Also, beware of people who say “execution is everything”. They’re probably building the next list management tool that nobody will use. In product design, a little research goes a long way.