Why the gap between an idea and execution is disappearing
Read time: 5 minutes
I've started quite a few businesses over the last 15 years, and one thing that stands out is just how much effort it took to get an idea off the ground.
First was the mindset shift from idea mode to execution mode.
Then there was the research, the landing page, the product itself. Maybe a freelancer or developer before you'd even made your first pound.
It's mind blowing to me how different that looks today.
With AI, I can have an idea in the morning and, within a few hours, research the market, analyse competitors, create a landing page, draft an offer and start testing whether anyone actually wants it.
Not perfectly, but well enough to start. And I think that's such a huge shift from even 5 years ago.
Here's what it changes.
1. The cost of being wrong has fallen
I used to spend so much time trying to work out whether an idea was "good" before doing anything with it. Now, in most cases, it's actually quicker to just test it and see.
Claude can help you research an audience, interrogate an idea to within an inch of it's life, create different offers, and identify obvious pitfalls — before you've spent a single penny.
I quite often think about ideas I tried to start years ago and how being in the current age would have made it a totally different experience.
An idea: Take one idea you've been sitting on and use AI to work out the smallest possible version you could test this week. Don't overthink it!
2. You can borrow skills you don't have
I'm not a designer, developer, researcher or copywriter. Previously, that meant either learning these skills myself or paying someone who had them.
AI is now the default option. You may not become an expert in something you've never done before, but it can make you competent enough to get much further on your own.
That's such a big advantage, particularly when you're starting something small with little funds.
A question: Which skill gap is currently slowing you down? With some decent prompts, there's a good chance AI can help you bridge the gap.
3. Building an audience can now start before the business does
I think this one is massively overlooked.
You no longer need to build something behind closed doors and then figure out how to find customers afterwards.
You can share the problem you're solving, what you're learning and your point of view on LinkedIn while you're still building. By the time you have something to sell, people already know what you're working on and why.
AI makes that process a lot easier, although your perspective is still what matters most.
Try this: If you're working on a project or business, share something about what you're learning from the process this week.
4. Execution is becoming a much lower bar
Having an idea has never been particularly valuable on its own.
But now even the very first stages of execution are becoming even easier. And so the advantage has moved from having an idea, to testing it; from testing it, to improving it; and ultimately, to actually sticking with something long enough to make it work.
AI removes so much of the friction. But it doesn't remove the need to act.
A thought: Think about something you've been "planning" for months. What would a rough version look like if you had to launch by next Friday?
The takeaway
I don't think AI guarantees that more businesses or ideas will succeed.
BUT it has massively reduced the cost, time and expertise needed to find out whether something could work, and to start promoting yourself.
I can't even imagine how many months and years I could have saved had this opportnity been available 15 years ago.
The gap between thinking and doing has never been smaller. The question is what we do with it.
Speak soon,
Dupé
PS: If building your own visibility is one of the things you've been putting off, this is something I help leaders with. Turning your expertise into a clear online presence and content that builds authority over time. Reply VISIBLE and I'll send you some details.
