Which is more important, products or marketing?

[vieome]

The way I see it is that adrianh is a clever, innovative guy. His frustration (and mine) is that generally people can not understand when an idea is born, because they can not conceptualise it. Even when he produces a CAD drawing, they can not read in 3D. So the idea does not get to fruition because one needs money and time to bring the idea to market.

So yes, the idea has no value (for the investor) until someone gets a spark in the brain and develops it into a product. For the inventor, however it has lots of value. He can continue to dream of that Carribean island or the Casino in Monaco.

That is exactly my point, that ideas have no value but value can be added to an idea. That is why I said the next step in the discussion is to ask how can one add value to an idea and I think that is the most important thing one has to do, find away of adding value to the idea.

And Yes adrianh simply expressing an idea can add value to it if you express it to the right person, as is the case with you and your brother. So essentially instead of believing that our ideas have value , it better to know the step by step process of adding value to the idea.

[adrianh]

*So essentially instead of believing that our ideas have value , it better to know the step by step process of adding value to the idea

I do not need to need the step by step process for my idea to have value. I can take it for granted that the person whom I tell about the idea has the knowhow to work out the process for themself. I could give my brother a vague idea to combine cellphones and education and he can get his people to work on it, and by the same token he would say that he thinks that there is a market for such and such a product and I would work out the detail.

[Blurock]

adrianh, your brother seems to be a practical guy. Would you be able to also sell your idea to a bean counter or a banker?

[adrianh]

Depends on their mindset.

[adrianh]

@Blurock - you hit the nail on the head when you said that 'he is practical'

The issue is this: each person evaluates 'what do I have to do to get what I want'. My brother and I are both willing to get down in the trenches and do whatever is needed'. Of course there are people that do not havethe knowhow nor the interest to do so. Ideas do not have a lot of value to those who are willing to get down and develop the ideas. This does not mean that their view is wrong, it simply means that they are not interested in the development process. But, I have to stress, though ideas may have no value to them, ideas have a great deal of value to us.

[Blurock]

They may also miss opportunities because they do not go to the trouble of trying to understand the idea. So to them the idea has no value, but to others it is a potential gold mine. Agreed?

[vieome]

@Blurock - you hit the nail on the head when you said that 'he is practical'

The issue is this: each person evaluates 'what do I have to do to get what I want'. My brother and I are both willing to get down in the trenches and do whatever is needed'. Of course there are people that do not havethe knowhow nor the interest to do so. Ideas do not have a lot of value to those who are willing to get down and develop the ideas. This does not mean that their view is wrong, it simply means that they are not interested in the development process. But, I have to stress, though ideas may have no value to them, ideas have a great deal of value to us.

I guess that puts us on the same page, agreeing that ideas are important, and that one can add value to an idea by expanding and working on it. The real stress then becomes marketing once the developed product is ready. I have several ideas that I put work into that are now finished products and are gathering dust because the market is not ready for them

[adrianh]

I have several ideas that I put work into that are now finished products and are gathering dust because the market is not ready for them

...or you haven't found the right person to take them to market.

[Citizen X]

That is exactly my point, that ideas have no value but value can be added to an idea. That is why I said the next step in the discussion is to ask how can one add value to an idea and I think that is the most important thing one has to do, find away of adding value to the idea.

And Yes adrianh simply expressing an idea can add value to it if you express it to the right person, as is the case with you and your brother. So essentially instead of believing that our ideas have value , it better to know the step by step process of adding value to the idea.

You guys are touching on very fundamental concepts of Marxism!!
Adding value. To illustrate, your most expensive cellphone, does not cost a lot to manufacture. In raw material mostly plastic and glass, your raw materials will cost about R20 at your scrap yard. The technology of cellphones is now here for a very long time, so mass producing plastic and glass is not costly. Value has being added to it because of its features, and that is what you are paying for. Sucks really!!

[adrianh]

Value has being added to it because of its features, and that is what you are paying for. Sucks really!!

The notion of "Value" is a very interesting concept.

So here is an interesting question: If you connect a PC to the internet does it not give the PC infinitely more value by virtue of the fact that it now gives access to so much information. (how much value does it have to somebody without electricity)

Does a PC connected to the internet have intrinsic value or does it only have value to a person that knows how to use it. - Compare this to water that has value whether one knows how to use it or not.