Idea Guys

I remembered reading this post about wannabe "idea guys" in the video game industry. Original here. The gist: if you want to work in games, you need to bring a real skill, not just "ideas about cool games." Everyone on the team already has ideas, on top of the actual craft they bring (graphic design, sound editing, level design, programming).

The same applies to startups. You can be a technical founder who brings deep technical expertise. Or a non-technical founder who brings deep domain expertise. Either way, you cover the missing piece through a co-founder, advisors, or fractional support.

But if you're neither, you're in trouble. You still have to bring something. Showing up with ideas (i.e. feature requests) that aren't rooted in domain expertise and that you can't implement yourself is a drag on everyone else. Ask any startup if they're starved for ideas. The answer is usually the opposite: too many ideas, too little capacity to implement.

If you're contemplating a startup but sense you're dangerously close to the "idea guy" archetype, decide:

• Do you pick up the technical chops and pair with a domain expert?

• Do you dive deep into the domain and pair with a technical expert?

Either choice is viable, but you must make it.