A graduate of the university of hard knocks becomes a multi-billionaire because he got a great idea on how to decorate and equip homes of all types and sizes, at the most affordable prices. The project idea became business translated into hundreds of practical and useful household goods sold today on a global scale. Another major actor in the business world begun with the idea of packaging liquids in cartons, specifically milk then, but which today includes even wine in cartons.There are hundreds of successful people, inventors really who started toying with ideas on how to facilitate certain functions in daily living who have infact done exactly what they envisioned to do which is to contribute to making practical living easier in modern societies. There is a governmental entity in Sweden called ALMI - for entrepreneurs with creative visions, who may not have the resources to develop an idea into a business but for which certain people like the risk capitalists may find worthwhile investing in. Every second, every minute of hours in this world there are creative people with ideas wanting to become businesses.
For people with creative visions - big and small, the opportunity to find ways to make an idea into business is closer to reality in developed countries where there are financial institutions and investors looking for good ideas to become successful businesses. But in less developed countries the inventive entrepreneurs do not have easy access to financial helps to bring an idea into reality. The good thing that can happen is that a foreigner with good business intuition buys the idea and helps with providing the financial resources to turn it into reality.
Foreign investment and foreign investors are engines of growth in less-developed countries. However, as much as they are a necessity to transform many ideas into many businesses, the national laws are not always in harmony with the individual citizens's goal to seek happiness and fullfillment in their ideas for starting businesses especially with a foreign partner. Yes, some governments do not give anough appreciation to those who want to be self-employed. Some business rules and regulations - for instance in African countries like Cape Verde do not function as facilitators of good ideas that can attract foreign investments.
Why I am giving Cape Verde as a specific example in this first blog article I am writing is that, I have just returned after a six-month residence in this Atlantic group of small islands and during which time, came at close range with the business culture of the islands. There are many ideas that can become successful businesses if the government provides the necessary support and incentives. For instance, Sal island is the windiest place I have ever been to and this resource can be harnessed into windcraft to supply electricity for the whole island, a commodity it acutely needs. Electricity shortage is a very real problem. The other commodity is water - clean drinking water that has to be made through desalination.
Another important economic area that needs ideas becoming businesses is the ports and maritime services. Cape Verde is composed of ten islands - of which eight are populated, hence the need for inter-island transport not just for passengers but for marketing agricultural produce. Although this problem is known even to the newborns, the government just doesn't seem to spend serious thinking about solving this through laws and regulations that will seduce investors to put money into inter-island shipping. Consider bringing a cargo ship to Cape Verde and be ready to pay 33% in import tax.
I have a reason for using the picture of a woman fish vendor in Sta. Maria (capital of Sal island) wharf. I have in mind one great idea wanting to find ways to become a successful business. And that is, how to export the tremendous harvest of fishes like tuna,blue marlin and mackerel to an EU country. When I googled the requirements for going into this business, I was drowned in the requirements both from the national and European Union authorities.
I do not mean to address the issue of national economic proportion as far as a country like Cape Verde is concerned. I am more interested in dissecting ideas for workable businesses wherein an idea becomes a successful business, maybe not of the Facebook proportion because it is not everyday that someone comes up with the birth of social media, or invents a cheapest communication vehicle like Skype. What ever it is, an idea does not need to be just an idea.#
