How I Vette Ideas - Hot or Not

[Mike Kavanagh]

I've started a notepad for an idea book. I already have one to write down notes of other people information. MJ, Vig, Jack and a few others have filled most of that notepad so far.

I write down 90% of my ideas(I forget some of them) and run them through the CENTS principles.

My format -

Title - Pass or Fail/Hot or Not

• Need:
• Entry:
• Control:
• Scale:
• Time:

Other Comments:

Pass/Fail (Circle one)

How to proceed:

I give myself enough room to write two sentences for each commandment. If it takes more than two sentences to explain I need to re-think what the idea is or fail it immediately. If I can't explain it, I shouldn't be in it.

Example-
Niche Social Networking Site(s)

• Need: Addressing the need for cultures and sub-culture to have their own place to network. Giving them a private place to talk about the things they do.
• Entry: Anyone with moderate programming skills can throw together a social network site from a template and customize it to their liking.
• Control: All revenue would be produced by Pay-Per-Click(PPC) advertisement. I could be booted by the PPC network at anytime for any reason. No control.
• Scale: This is impossible to scale. Revenue is produced by PPC only and you cannot force people to click.
• Time: My time would be filled with moderation activities and PPC management. If the business was profitable I would be able to sell the business.

Other Comments: My main competitor is Facebook. They allow niche groups to get together in private and have a much wider networking community. Aside from being a "One Culture Only" social network (exclusive membership!) I don't have much value to add to the arena.

Fail

How to proceed: Scrap the idea.


This was all hand-written on the notepad. I find that actually writing it down forces me to think about what I'm writing since I don't have a backspace key to fix a screw-up.

Thanks for reading. I love giving back to this community. It has brought me other opportunities and has shown me what I was doing wrong in the past.

 

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[Tom.V]

Huvve muwi DIPVT, tu tonqmotvod epf imihepv. O jewi ov xsovvip up nz xjovicuesf vu duptvepvmz sinopf ni ug jux podi ov ot vu lpux xjev't dunoph.

 

[dknise]

O foh vji qsuditt. Jewi zua fidofif up ep ofie vu iyidavi ziv, us esi zua tvomm tiesdjoph?

 

[Mike Kavanagh]

Jewi zua fidofif up ep ofie vu iyidavi ziv, us esi zua tvomm tiesdjoph?

O'wi atif ov up nz nuvjis't catopitt vu fivisnopi og O tjuamf jimq jis hsux us puv. Tji jet e tobecmi finepf, vji upmz vjoph vjev tadlt ot ov ot e mudem juatidmiepoph tiswodi. O vjopl tji tjuamf tvuq fuoph ov cideati tji fuitp'v xepv vu hsux qetv katv cioph vji inqmuzii.

Et gus nz uxp qevj, O'n hsuxoph moraof deqovem sohjv pux. O jewi e gix vjopht vjev O'n huoph vu vitv gus finepf epf vjip tdemi ov.

Nohjv hu gus vji Onqusvoph moli Wohomepvi. Tiint moli ov xuamf ci gap vu vsz...