Why finding business idea should not be a headache

Sir Richard Branson plays with a young girl at the Giraffe Centre during a visit to Nairobi. Richard Branson, one of the most successful serial entrepreneurs gives a very inspiring story on how he turned a big disappointment into a big business idea. Photo/FILE 

By MURORI KIUNGA, murorikiunga@yahoo.com.

In Summary

• “My problem is not capital or ...premises or contacts...My only challenge is a lack of a viable business idea. I simply don’t know which business to venture into and where to start,” she said.
• However, if we look at some of successful entrepreneurs, we don’t find them struggling to get an idea. They simply turned their passion, a stunning experience or an encounter into a business idea.

Last week, on the sidelines of a workshop, I had a mind-boggling short discussion with a middle-aged woman. She told me that she has a strong feeling that her job is coming to an end soon.

She will either be edged out in a looming restructuring at her workplace or she will quit before her retirement.

She further told me that she has always wanted to retire early and start a business and feels the time has come but she has one problem she wanted us to meet and discuss at a later date.

“My problem is not capital or ...premises or contacts...My only challenge is a lack of a viable business idea. I simply don’t know which business to venture into and where to start,” she said.

Well, getting a business idea is always a headache to most people planning to venture into business.

However, if we look at some of successful entrepreneurs, we don’t find them struggling to get an idea. They simply turned their passion, a stunning experience or an encounter into a business idea.

Whatever we experience in life whether positive or negative can be a source of great opportunities. Napoleon Hill said: “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit.”

Opportunities turned upside down

Thus some of the challenges, disappointments and adversities we face in life are actually opportunities turned upside down. The key impediment is our very nature that prompts us to hate, complain and frown at everything nasty that comes on our way to the extent that we fail to see the goodies that are concealed in it.

Richard Branson, one of the most successful serial entrepreneurs gives a very inspiring story on how he turned a big disappointment into a big business idea:

“I was in my late 20s, so I had a business, but nobody knew who I was at the time. I was headed to the Virgin Islands and I had a very pretty girl waiting for me, so I was, umm, determined to get there on time.

“At the airport, my final flight to the Virgin Islands was cancelled because of maintenance or something. It was the last flight out that night. I thought this was ridiculous, so I went and chartered a private airplane to take me to the Virgin Islands, which I did not have the money to do.

Then, I picked up a small blackboard, wrote “Virgin Airlines. $29.” on it, and went over to the group of people who had been on the flight that was cancelled. I sold tickets for the rest of the seats on the plane, used their money to pay for the chartered plane, and we all went to the Virgin Islands that night.”

Sir Richard could have cursed poor systems, blamed bad luck or something else and went away that night feeling bitter and disappointed. He would have probably taken the next available flight the following day and forgot about the event completely.

However, that incident ignited an entrepreneurial spark that later give birth to Virgin Airlines. He realised that there was an opportunity to venture into aviation business and he grabbed it.

Almost every day or quite often we are bombarded with experiences that elite or frustrate us in our workplaces, at homes and in our engagement with others. Some of them are wake-up calls beckoning us to quit our temporary comfort and pursue our dreams.

Unfortunately the majority don’t see a new door opening because they focus on the one that has just closed.

Next week, I will share with you an inspiring story of a local lady who turned her health breakthrough into a fast growing business.

Mr Kiunga is a business trainer and the author of ‘The Art of Entrepreneurship: Strategies to Succeed in a Competitive Market’.
Email: murorikiunga@yahoo.com.