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Go Ahead, Do Not Overthink It

FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith wrote a term paper while a student in Yale. The paper was a new shipping system - the hub-and-spoke method (orient routes through central hubs). As expected, the professor gave him C.

(No worries; that is part of the job! If you doubt, ask Mark Zuckerberg how he performed in his computer science class in Harvard. Professors are masters of logic and reasoning while business can be hacked out of reason. It explains why a Harvard MBA may struggle to start a business but would be best to run one; business cases and extrapolations work when there is a reference. But when you have Airbnb postulating to put strangers in people’s homes, you would agree if you follow REASON, in grading term papers, you would likely give Airbnb founders D.)

The American entrepreneur did not bother – he went ahead and made enormous contributions in the global $400 billion worldwide delivery market.

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Take action and begin that business. Do not overthink it or allow the "experts" to derail the mission with those "this will not work!". When you start, make sure you send the experts free samples. You would be surprised how they would appreciate the efforts.


Fedex is a U.S public company valued in billions of dollars (learn more)

Airbnb is an American company valued in billions of dollars (learn more)

Actually, you do not need a professor's blessing when you are coming up with 'never seen before' business idea, it defies logic and therefore has nothing of note for people of letters to reference.

Like in all things, the best way to start is simply by starting; subsequently you can ask for inputs from the guys in the ivory towers.

Airbnb business idea appeared weird at the beginning, if they were so worried about rejection and cultural/customary issues, there wouldn't be Airbnb today.

For certain business ideas: ACT first, then think later.