Shezi & S.

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    Executing an Idea: Grow Beyond the Horizon

    Believing is one thing.  Executing is another.  How many of us have thought, I could do that better? There are myriad of ways to succeed, and yet, every so often, we come across an individual who has succeeded beyond what we even envisioned for ourselves, whose idea was at best unoriginal, at worst plagiarized. Was it simply raw talent and luck? Was it you, whose ideas weren’t brilliant enough? To the perplexed, the obvious answer is no. 

    The true recipe for success, among many ingredients, necessarily includes execution.  Too many of us, and I am one of the guilty, sit and think about success.  We think about how it would feel, how it must taste, how all those gorgeous people on television, reality television stars excluded, must be basking in their glory, living a life we could only dream about - those television anchors, policy pundits, acclaimed novelists, enterprising technologists, famed boutiques, and exhibitionist painters.

    Let’s go back to the 1930s, during a little era called The Great Depression.  There was a young woman, born in a working class family in Queens, New York.  Her parents owned a hardware store, where she worked as a teenager. One day she decided to help her uncle, a chemist.  They began making untested skincare products.  This young woman, believing in her nascent products, went to the streets of New York City and started selling to other women – yes, she stood daily for hours, soliciting potential clients to try her products, and this during a time when the concept of true skincare did not exist.

    After much struggle, she eventually persuaded several retailers to host her products on their shelves.  Her products took off beyond what a simple middle-class girl could even comprehend.  Today, she is a legend in her own right, her brand one of the most respected in the world.  Her name was Estee Lauder.

    Did she have help? Yes, her uncle happened to be a chemist – she had access to chemicals and the know-how needed to create the product.  But she had to go out and execute her plan. She had to get out there and talk to people about an entirely new concept at the risk of rejection.  She did this for years, investing hours each day. 

    An idea, however brilliant, has no value unless you materialize the beginnings of a plan to execute it.  Do not think about the plan anymore than you need to think about your next vacation to Europe.  You won’t know every detail, every alley, every opportunity you may have when you begin your journey, but you will know enough to start the process and learn along the way.  There is no perfect plan, no perfect execution.  Indeed, there is even no guarantee of success.  But new opportunities arise from even the most elementary plans.  Live with that ambiguity and uncertainty, and watch your idea grow beyond the horizon.

    • 20 June 2010
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  • Shezi Sardar's Space

    Shezi is a media and technology lawyer in New York City, with a penchant for entrepreneurship in emerging industries. He is a co-founder of Global Executive Board, a social media advisory services company.

    An avid blogger and industry journalist, Shezi also blogs at The Laughing Owl. He is also a member of the International Trade Committee of the NYC Bar Association, a nominated position, and is admitted to practice law in NY.

    Sardar Law Firm LLC
    www.sardarlawfirm.com

    Profiles
    http://about.me/shezisardar
    http://flavors.me/shezisardar

    Blogs:
    The Laughing Owl http://thelaughingowl.tumblr.com
    Shezi & S. http://shezisardar.posterous.com

    Twitter:
    @shezisardar
    @socialmedia_law
    @sardarlawfirm

    Email: sardar [at] sardarlawfirm.com

    Contributed by Shezi Sardar

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    • Shezi Sardar
  • About Shezi Sardar

    Shezi is a media and technology lawyer in New York City, with a penchant for entrepreneurship in emerging industries. He is a co-founder of Global Executive Board, a social media advisory services company.

    An avid blogger and industry journalist, Shezi also blogs at The Laughing Owl. He is also a member of the International Trade Committee of the NYC Bar Association, a nominated position, and is admitted to practice law in NY.

    Sardar Law Firm LLC
    www.sardarlawfirm.com

    Profiles
    http://about.me/shezisardar
    http://flavors.me/shezisardar

    Blogs:
    The Laughing Owl http://thelaughingowl.tumblr.com
    Shezi & S. http://shezisardar.posterous.com

    Twitter:
    @shezisardar
    @socialmedia_law
    @sardarlawfirm

    Email: sardar [at] sardarlawfirm.com

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