Or, put another way, I'm an ideas guy. So is my co-founder. Both of us have really good ideas, pretty regularly.
But that's not my job in our startup-- I'm in charge of engineering. My cofounder does design & marketing, and we split a lot of the CEO stuff.
People say ideas are worthless, but that's not always true- I've seen worthless ideas and really valuable ones both.
I think what you're reacting to, and what the parent is acknowledging in a humble way, is that some people have a lot of ideas but aren't yet ready to be "in charge of engineering" or whatever.
When I went to college, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I think ther are a lot of kids[1] today who have the idea they "want to work for a startup" or "found a startup"... but they still don't yet know what they really want to do with their life.
Some are foolish and think that being the "ideas guy" is valuable, some are not (and I think the parent is not.)
[1] in the sense of "younger person, cause I'm old", not in the pejorative sense.
"but they still don't yet know what they really want to do with their life"
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-> exactly this. So until I do figure that bit out, I'm gonna keep my eyes open and make like a sponge.
Additionally, I used to think that being the "ideas guy" was valuable... I think there is a general understanding among average people that being first-to-market is THE driving force behind successful brands. After numerous business and entrepreneurship classes at university and reading many case studies of businesses; I have come to the realization that (of course) anybody can have an idea: it's the execution that matters.
I guess what I'm trying to acknowledge or convey is that we know not what we do. Us noobs, who are invading and "hipster"-izing this community.
So please, guide us! Love us, that we may love you back...
But posting articles detesting hipsters won't help, since a hipster never considers themselves a hipster. (and they will just agree with your article "Damn those hipsters!")
Well said. I think that I would be shy of describing myself as an "ideas guy" simply because of the experience I've had with people who describe themselves that way.
But I appreciate your more nuanced interpretation of both the phrase and the parent's intention.
Looking back at the vantage point of my own 10 year old "startup" - oops, I mean "small SaaS software business" - I can certainly point to a couple good ideas that took about 5 years' execution apiece =)
To put it all another way:
If some young person said to me "I'm an ideas guy", that would probably be the end of my taking them seriously
If that same young person said to me "I've got a lot of good ideas - I think - but I'm not sure of my ability to make them happen", then I would respond very differently.
But that's not my job in our startup-- I'm in charge of engineering. My cofounder does design & marketing, and we split a lot of the CEO stuff.
People say ideas are worthless, but that's not always true- I've seen worthless ideas and really valuable ones both.
I think what you're reacting to, and what the parent is acknowledging in a humble way, is that some people have a lot of ideas but aren't yet ready to be "in charge of engineering" or whatever.
When I went to college, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I think ther are a lot of kids[1] today who have the idea they "want to work for a startup" or "found a startup"... but they still don't yet know what they really want to do with their life.
Some are foolish and think that being the "ideas guy" is valuable, some are not (and I think the parent is not.)
[1] in the sense of "younger person, cause I'm old", not in the pejorative sense.