The One-Night Stand of Business Ideas

Author

Jon Matzner
October 30, 2024

You know what's easy?

Making an idea.

It takes about three seconds to blurt out "We should switch CRMs!" in a meeting.

The whole room nods. Brilliant suggestion.

Meeting adjourned....

But here's the thing about ideas – they're a lot like babies.

See, making a baby can happen in one passionate night.

But then what?

Then comes the REAL fucking work.

The 2 AM feedings.

The endless diaper changes.

The sleepless nights.

The worrying.

The doctor visits.

The trying to figure out why they're crying.... And that's just the first few months.

Your "brilliant" CRM idea?

That's the one-night stand of business decisions.

The moment of conception is exciting.

Everyone's enthusiastic.

But then Monday morning comes, and guess what?

Someone's got to raise this baby.

That someone is your team.

They're the ones who have to:

  • Export all the old data

  • Clean up years of messy records

  • Train every single employee

  • Deal with the inevitable bugs

  • Handle everyone's complaints

  • Maintain two systems during transition

  • Build new processes

  • Create new documentation

  • Fix integrations that break

  • Manage security concerns

And that's just the first trimester.

This isn't a three-second idea anymore.

This is an 18-month commitment.

Minimum. J

ust like how that one night turned into 18 years of parenthood.

The parallel is impossible to ignore: Every decision we make comes with a long tail of responsibility.

Every "fun" moment comes with years of follow-through.

There's no such thing as a quick fix or an easy solution.

So next time you're about to throw out a "we should just..." idea, remember: KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS.

Be a responsible parent to your ideas.

Better yet, be present for the ENTIRE journey.

Don't be that person who shows up at the meeting, drops an idea-baby in everyone's lap, and then disappears when it's time to change the diapers.

Because in both parenting and business, the initial moment of creation is the easy part.

It's the years of consistent, unglamorous, day-to-day effort that turn that moment into something meaningful....

And if you're not ready to be there for those years, maybe keep that brilliant idea to yourself.

Yallah Habibi,

Jon