Thinking about a minor disagreement with a coworker at [company] a while back, about the value of ideas.
The situation boiled down to: We (Company A) have developed [widget], but we are having trouble selling it because we lack [network of buyers]. Company B wants to partner with us b/c they do not have [widget] but they DO have [network of buyers]. Are we putting our work at risk (long term) by partnering with this company to sell our widgets to their network in the short term. i.e.: What if Company B steals our widgets, aka our IP, aka our Ideas.
My immediate reaction was: ideas are worthless. We need the money now, let’s do it, and see what happens. If our ideas get “stolen” (happy to debate about whether that’s a thing), who cares, we have other ideas. Or: the fact of our ideas isn’t our value, it’s the fact of our having written and developed the trainings.
I said so. Coworker stared at me, almost angry, and insisted: That is wrong. Ideas are valuable.
I don’t know where things landed; my brief time there ended soon after for unrelated reasons!
Why am I even mentioning this. I guess sometimes you look back on a past conversation and see a different side, reconsider things, realize you were wrong. Not me! Still right.
There’s a Saying Yes thing here, a There’s no bad ideas thing, a No such thing as writer’s block thing, an Everyone has an idea for a book, BUT thing here. Foundational personal philosophy, innit.
I’ve been slowwwly working on putting together my next EP and I’ve got like 4 ideas for songs and I’m just waiting for that 5th idea that fits with the other 4 and then I’ll know it’s time to focus up and finish it up. Every day I sit down, see what happens. The ideas come, who cares. They are used or set aside. Ideas are not the point.
Related: I’m not convinced backing up your files is that important.