I recently met someone who “advised” us about our startup Qpeka. So we told him, we want to make it possible for people to pay only for the pages they read. He thought for a second, and then his exact statement was, “Are you guys magicians, that you think you can change people’s mind?” The rest of the discussion is something which I cannot remember, because A. His “practical” opinion did not matter any further, B. I started thinking about the question this person had asked. To my surprise, the answer was “Yes”.
From my childhood, magic captivated me. I loved it when someone could do something which was impossible to the practical mind. It was the thrill of knowing how did he/she do that (even though we all know it’s a trick)
Coming to think of it, isn’t that why we adore entrepreneurs? Because they seem to pull off the impossible. Because they actually defy rational thinking.. Because they create magic…
I loved this magic act:
Have a look at this and try to find out how did he do all that?
We in our awe and surprise (and sometimes frustration to find how they did it), ignore the most important thing, which is the preparation. A magic act may seem simple, but it requires massive preparation, extreme accuracy and at the end flawless execution to carry out. There no scope for any error. Any wrong move and the crowd is out. For example, I think the all the birds were trained and hidden in his jacket and while lighting fire the birds used to walk out. The bright crackling light actually blinds us for a second, when the birds come out. But you know what, you couldn’t figure that out immidiately, and he knew that.
That’s how our users are as well. Use any trick possible, but give them what they want. They will not try to figure out how you did it even though it maybe really simple, but still be in awe that you thought of it!
That’s what successful entrepreneurs have done so far. They have prepared perfectly, ensured extreme accuracy and then flawlessly executed what they wanted. Yes, they did do mistakes, but they tried to ensure that the people didn’t see them. At the end, they changed people’s mind in a way!
So let’s admit it, successful entrepreneurs are great magicians, and their venture is simply magic.
But let us understand what the magic really is. It is the skill of using real objects, sleight of hand or other optical illusions to make even the most cynical believe in what you want them to believe. There is an element of showmanship. Of creating excitement. Of delivering a performance which changes people’s mind. It involves a lot of preparation and hard work, and there is no flying on a broom, or using a wand involved as most books talk about (Harry Potter was magical though. How did JK Rowling get such an amazing story together?)
So if you want your startup to succeed, then you should know magic. Which means,
1. You should prepare really well,
2. You should aim to change people’s mind about you and the world,
3. You should be creative and use every skill possible to wow the world,
4. You should be able to able to deliver flawlessly. One mistake and you are gone
And ya remember one thing. You will get a lot of “Practical” advice about things which look “Practically Possible”. But to be able to do what people think is impossible, is what magic is!
Karan Ahuja
cmmonnnnn.