Today I came across a very old note in one of my diaries from about 25 years back. Dated 05-12-2001, it read:

I don't suppose I knew about Internet of Things (IoT) back in 2001, so this was impressively prescient. I also had thought about what I would come to know as Active Noise Cancellation - but what I called "anti-sound" (which honestly sounds so much cooler). I thought about inflatable plastic bottles too, and other random stuff.

It could have been useful had I done anything about it. Or not.  We'd never know because I left it all at that. Didn't even talk to anyone about it.

I'm sure we've all had those crazy thoughts about stuff that ought to exist. Ideas that should be more mainstream but aren't. The problem is we rarely take the next step.

---

Over time, I've come to understand this hierarchy for ideas:
Thinking < Talking < Showing < Building < Shipping

Talking is the first simple but a real step. Just sharing your crazy thought with others is powerful because you obviously care about it. That energy is infectious and it ripples out. Plus, you might discover it's not so crazy after all - or find a co-conspirator you hadn't met yet.

Showing comes when talking isn't enough. Maybe your idea needs more shape before people get it. Work on it a bit, recruit others for feedback. Give it form - pictures, models or even just sketches -  something concrete people can actually connect with. Keep iterating both the concept and your audience. Because sometimes, you may also need to find the right people.

Building is where things get real. These days, thanks to LLMs, it's ridiculously easier to go from idea to prototype. That's one reason I love them. And another lesser reason, why your idea should not remain just a thought.

Shipping is the goal though. Building something you envisioned is extremely satisfying. But the real high is seeing others actually use it. I'm still developing this muscle.

---

Here's what stops most of us: we think our ideas aren't novel enough. And there'll always be people ready to rattle off similar products or platforms or ideas. Don't do their work for them. Have more faith in your ideas. More importantly, why it matters to you. Because novelty is overrated anyway.

I was at Bangalore Tech Summit again last year, trawling through the startup section. What a range - young kids with a travel app who'd never heard of Thrillophilia or Tripigator (now closed - like many trip planners do), older folks with life-coach services, hardware builders, research-heavy startups, simple ChatGPT wrappers. Everything in between.

What was the common denominator though? Every single one was there because they had launched. I saw reflections of so many of my own ideas. Tons that looked like each other too.

Novelty doesn't matter. Launch does. Maybe the first paying customer too, if you want a business. That's the muscle worth developing.

---

Right now I feel like there ought to be a welcoming, open space where people can share these crazy ideas they're thinking about. Or tinkering with. In fact, it does not even need be crazy (see above about novelty being overrated). Haven't found one in Bangalore, so I'm trying to build it myself. Dogfooding my advice here.

So go ahead - talk about those crazy ideas. Take one small step closer. And if you want to share yours, I'm looking for more of our kind. Reach out at https://cal.com/amitkumar

---

Amit
(building NextFive)