When Ideas Become Reality
Sometimes, finding a good idea is not easy. We need to dig down our creative space. Then, we judge the pros and cons of it. If there are no good pros, we can’t execute it. To me, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. There might be some needles inside. But we should find the right one.
However, it seems like a trap of perfection.
We can’t find the perfect idea unless we test it first. It doesn’t matter if the result is not the same as our expectation. The goal is to turn an idea into reality. Who knows if it can be applicable someday.
Anyway, I am interested in the idea of startup founders. They have a crazy idea when building the product or service of the startup company. Even people insult it. But, they stand still and give better proof instead.
Now I want to tell you about two founders and the idea behind the startup.
I research the founder that I think is interesting to share right now. I want you to know the idea and the background story of it.
I will tell you about Brian Acton and Jan Koum. Yap. They are the founder of WhatsApp. As we know, Facebook Inc. or Meta acquired it in 2014 with a budget of around 19 million dollars. And a few years later, Brian Acton and Jan Koum resigned from the CEO position because of something.
Surprisingly, Jan Koum has been a cleaning service to survive, but he is a genius. He learns to program at school and individually. That’s why he can create WhatsApp with Brian Acton. The idea comes when he is aware of the technology of the iPhone, where there is an App store, and we can use the internet on a smartphone. He wants to make an app that can help people chat on a smartphone by using the internet. And without ads.
The idea is simple and a little bit crazy because he proves it works. We use it in daily life right now. People need it to chat with someone else effortlessly, without ads.
We can feel the benefit of the apps. Importantly it’s free. I hope it can be like that forever. I hope there are no ads inside it.
Jan’s idea has changed our life. But what will happen if he doesn’t implement it in real life?
Jan once said, “I want to do one thing and do it well.”
The lesson is don’t be afraid of applying your idea. Hesitation is normal. But don’t let it hold you to create a masterpiece. Yap. Because your idea, simple or crazy, can be a masterpiece that helps many people.
Do you know that Brian Acton and Jan Koum had ever applied for a job on Facebook?
They applied it before creating WhatsApp, but he was not accepted. It’s funny for me because Facebook Inc. acquired WhatsApp later.
WhatsApp is going bigger right now. But can you guess what will happen with it without the founder — Brian Acton and Jan Joum — inside?
Last but not least, I will say that a big thing might come from simple but crazy ideas that become a reality.
“A lot of times, people start with a lot of good ideas, but then they don’t execute. They lose the purity of their vision. You end up running around in circles.” — Jan Koum.
