I Gave Up On A Million Dollar Idea

I had an amazing idea in the year 2010, just before I finished my post grad.

"A platform where people will be able to sell or donate their old stuff that they don't need anymore."

A unique idea that time.

So the curious software guy in me started working on it day and night.

• Designed UI in photoshop
• Created complete website using ASP.NET Forms
• Added Google Ads that will make me money

I was working solo that time and was searching for Freelancing projects on side to keep up with my day to day expenses.

I thought till I don't get any project, let me just keep learning new tech and build different types of apps.

At least my resumé will be strong if I had to do the job again?

It took me about a week to build app.

I bought PuranaMarket.com (Purana means Old in Hindi). It was easy to pronounce and relatable to my target audience.

This is how the site looked

Fake it till you make it is what I heard everywhere that time.

I setup the site on my shared hosting...super happy with whatever I had done.

It was the first public platform I had created on my own ☺️.

Then I just announced its availability on Facebook.

Likes after Likes.

Comments after Comments.

Dopamine Rush.

Awesome feeling.

I am certainly onto something here.

Now because this was a unique idea during the time, few of my friends from college showed interest to invest in the app.

Hell I didn't know anything at all about investing and stuff and if this could actually be a business.

So I kept ignoring them, till they stopped approaching.

I was hell bent to do it all alone.

I was hoping that people will start posting their old stuff to sell online and I make it all big on my own.

Days pass

Crickets🦗

Weeks pass

More Crickets🦗🦗

...then Months and nothing happened.

I finally decided to close down the site to work on some other project.

Fast forward 6 months later, I see an ad on TV about a company that is advertising the same concept.

The company was http://olx.in, promoting the exact same idea. They had good funding and were promoting the platform like a mad bull in the prime time slots.

My heart sank.

Did I make a mistake closing it down?

But I knew I was too late to think that.

Soon, there were other companies popped up in the same space like Quickr and more.

Why should this story matter to you as a builder?

There are two things that I would like to point out.

Ideas are worth $0

Ideas are like energies floating around in the air.

Multiple people can have same idea at the same time.

If you are hiding your idea (read building it secretly)? PLEASE DON'T.

Because in all probability, somebody else also has got the exact same idea and is probably working on it too.

Your idea is not as unique as you think it is.

And execution does not mean coding

We read "Ideas mean nothing, execution is all that matters" everywhere we go.

I would like to point that execution doesn't mean building a product.

Coding software is just one part and more importantly the easiest part as well.

And today with so many No-Code builders available, its easier than it had ever been.

In reality, execution is a combination of many things.

idea + coding + marketing + distribution + sales + support + feedback + correction + repeat.

The entire idea can fall flat on face if any of these items fail.

So next time you find a "unique" idea know that

→ it is worthless

→ there is more to an idea than just building

→ don't ignore your friends if they are willing to join you to build business

→ don't ignore your friends if they are willing to invest in your business

→ even if nobody is working on your idea, somebody will be working on it soon

Because these are the stupid things that I once did.

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Till next time 🫡

Anshul

PS - If you are a Windows user looking for screenshot beautify app, checkout SnapInker. I am giving away free licenses to my subscribers before I decide on pricing.