Are You An Entrepreneur?
I think you are. I'm sure you've had an idea, an inkling, a thought of something you could do online. I'm not talking about those online scams that promise you'll get checks for doing absolutely no work. Instead, I'm referring to those conversations that come up when you're out to dinner with friends. Those times when a good idea strikes you and you wonder, "Is anyone doing that?"
Chances are, you Googled it to find out if it existed. Is anyone writing about that? Is there a book on the topic? Is there an online store selling that? Would anyone be interested in my advice about this? It's an exciting moment when you have a good idea and discover that nobody has done it yet.
When you reach that point, your next questions might be: "Is anyone searching for that on Google? If so, how many people?"
Here's how you can find out: use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. The URL is: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. (Bookmark it, because the page itself isn't available in Google's search pages and you'll want to keep it handy the next time inspiration strikes.) When you first get to the page, you'll be asked to enter some letters as a security check. They're just making sure you're a human being and not some automated machine trying to suck down a ton of Google's data.
Once you're past that, enter some keywords or phrases related to your idea into the box and then hit search. Google will click and whir, and then return the number of times (if any) it's been entered into Google per month. It will also return a ton of other results for related keywords and phrases, which may offer you further insight or inspiration.
(If you're having trouble figuring out what your initial keywords or phrases should be, I'd recommend playing with Google Sets for some inspiration.)
Hopefully the tool helps answer your questions or offers some guidance. Maybe you came up another, slightly different idea in the meantime, or maybe your original idea was enhanced by some of the results.
Now the tricky part - figuring out how to make it happen. I'm a web developer for a living, but here's my confession: you don't need my help to put most of your really great ideas into action. That might have been true in 2001, but technology has come a long way since then. In order to sell stuff as an online merchant, to create an online presence for yourself so that maybe someone will be impressed and hire you, to share yourself or your art with others with radical honesty, to strike out on your own and start working for yourself instead of an employer, to offer your expertise or insight in your line of work, to create communities in social networks...it's pretty easy for anyone with basic computer skills, and the cost is negligible. Very often, it's completely free.
To make an idea for the web work, here's the three things I think you need:
1. Access to, and understanding of, technology.
2. A good, not great, idea. (Great ideas are welcome.)
3. Faith, perseverance, and good ol' fashioned cajones.
We just covered technology, so that's (probably) not a limitation you're facing. And if you're still reading at this point, chances are good you already have an idea. You might even have lots of 'em. Coming up with a good idea might be seem a little tricky, but it's just a matter of recognizing them when your brain comes up with them. We all have ideas, but most of us are wired not to pay attention to them. Pick the one you like best to start.
The third one is the hardest one, and it's the reason a lot of good ideas never see the light of day. (Disclaimer: the "light of day" doesn't mean "success and riches of a bloated plutocrat".) The execution is what really matters. It's making the decision to follow through on your idea, sticking to it long enough so it has a chance to succeed, and believing that it will. That can be hard work.
For anyone who might need friendly advice or have questions about Internet stuff, see me afterward.
P.S. I started this post by offering you a means of analyzing what people are looking for on Google...but in a way, that's me leading the witness (you). I don't think anyone was searching for "dog whisperer" back in 2002, but it seems to have worked out for Cesar Millan. Too often people don't know what they're looking for until you offer it to them.
Chances are, you Googled it to find out if it existed. Is anyone writing about that? Is there a book on the topic? Is there an online store selling that? Would anyone be interested in my advice about this? It's an exciting moment when you have a good idea and discover that nobody has done it yet.
When you reach that point, your next questions might be: "Is anyone searching for that on Google? If so, how many people?"
Here's how you can find out: use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. The URL is: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. (Bookmark it, because the page itself isn't available in Google's search pages and you'll want to keep it handy the next time inspiration strikes.) When you first get to the page, you'll be asked to enter some letters as a security check. They're just making sure you're a human being and not some automated machine trying to suck down a ton of Google's data.
Once you're past that, enter some keywords or phrases related to your idea into the box and then hit search. Google will click and whir, and then return the number of times (if any) it's been entered into Google per month. It will also return a ton of other results for related keywords and phrases, which may offer you further insight or inspiration.
(If you're having trouble figuring out what your initial keywords or phrases should be, I'd recommend playing with Google Sets for some inspiration.)
Hopefully the tool helps answer your questions or offers some guidance. Maybe you came up another, slightly different idea in the meantime, or maybe your original idea was enhanced by some of the results.
Now the tricky part - figuring out how to make it happen. I'm a web developer for a living, but here's my confession: you don't need my help to put most of your really great ideas into action. That might have been true in 2001, but technology has come a long way since then. In order to sell stuff as an online merchant, to create an online presence for yourself so that maybe someone will be impressed and hire you, to share yourself or your art with others with radical honesty, to strike out on your own and start working for yourself instead of an employer, to offer your expertise or insight in your line of work, to create communities in social networks...it's pretty easy for anyone with basic computer skills, and the cost is negligible. Very often, it's completely free.
To make an idea for the web work, here's the three things I think you need:
1. Access to, and understanding of, technology.
2. A good, not great, idea. (Great ideas are welcome.)
3. Faith, perseverance, and good ol' fashioned cajones.
We just covered technology, so that's (probably) not a limitation you're facing. And if you're still reading at this point, chances are good you already have an idea. You might even have lots of 'em. Coming up with a good idea might be seem a little tricky, but it's just a matter of recognizing them when your brain comes up with them. We all have ideas, but most of us are wired not to pay attention to them. Pick the one you like best to start.
The third one is the hardest one, and it's the reason a lot of good ideas never see the light of day. (Disclaimer: the "light of day" doesn't mean "success and riches of a bloated plutocrat".) The execution is what really matters. It's making the decision to follow through on your idea, sticking to it long enough so it has a chance to succeed, and believing that it will. That can be hard work.
For anyone who might need friendly advice or have questions about Internet stuff, see me afterward.
P.S. I started this post by offering you a means of analyzing what people are looking for on Google...but in a way, that's me leading the witness (you). I don't think anyone was searching for "dog whisperer" back in 2002, but it seems to have worked out for Cesar Millan. Too often people don't know what they're looking for until you offer it to them.