A message from Larry Goldberg, founder of ideas2sell.com

What’s an idea worth? Well, I guess it depends on what you do with it! When it flashes across your mind, it’s your choice whether to bring it into existence by doing something with it, or just let it continue on its way to wherever ideas go. Eventually, someone else will “get” the idea, and have the same choice of bringing it to life or letting it go.

When I was a teenager, I had several aquariums filled with a variety of tropical fish. I could never go away for more than a few days, because the fish would starve, or the person appointed to handle the task would overfeed them or forget. The result was always dead fish! I “got” an idea. If I put the food in capsules and inserted the capsules in a timer that rotated about one eighth of a revolution daily, one capsule would drop into the aquarium and dissolve each day, and I could go away for up to eight days. After several failed attempts, I built the device, and it worked flawlessly. I never shared the idea, though I received encouragement from my parents. Several years later, I saw “my idea” in a tropical fish store. What was the idea worth? Nothing to me! Have you ever had a similar experience?

Ten years later, I met my wife. We married and started a family. One of the challenges we had, like most parents of young children, was getting our children to sleep, so we could enjoy some quiet time together. More often than not, however, the children were out of their bedrooms disturbing that quiet time. I “got” an idea. Together with an artist friend, we created a series of sheets and pillowcases imprinted with children’s activities, i.e., games for one, roads with little cars (“The Road to Dreamland”). This time we took our idea to New York City where several textile mills had their headquarters. Though they showed interest, we had neither the time, money, nor freedom to persist with the venture. After six months, we abandoned the project. Within a year, similar products were on department store shelves! What was the idea worth? To us, nothing! Have you had an idea that eventually made money for someone else?

We all have access to the same place from which ideas emanate. Some of us “get” ideas sooner than others. Often, a few of us get the same idea at the same time. I believe our minds are like radios! That is, we only receive the signal (idea) on the station to which we’re tuned. What we do with the ideas we “hear” is our choice. Most, if not all of the time, we do nothing. ideas2sell.com is an opportunity to do something.

Sincerely,
Larry
Larry Goldberg, Founder
ideas2sell.com