Entrepreneurs and Unicorns Don't Mix. (Here's Why)

Unicorns are everywhere. Learning to distinguish them from great ideas isn't always easy, but is necessary if you're going to navigate the risk of growing your business with confidence and success.

Dear Entrepreneurs... Stop chasing unicorns.

You’re better than that. Unicorns are the simple solutions that promise big rewards. They are everywhere.

"Sign up today and get a house tomorrow with no money down! Hire us and we’ll increase your business overnight by 1000%! Let us manage your Twitter and you’ll become a social rockstar! Give us three hours and will give you 100 new leads!"

The internet and the world are filled with lots of opportunities to buy unicorns.

If you want to stay in the game, stay away from unicorns. Develop the skill of filtering great ideas and solid opportunities from the time wasters and money suckers. That’s a lot easier said than done. Trust us. We know a thing or two about getting suckered in to buying a unicorn. We learned our lesson, and now we’d like to help you.

Here are three questions to ask to determine if you’re unicorn chasing:

1. Is the idea unique?

It's been said that there are no new ideas. To an extent, that's true. But there are lots of unique ideas. Are there other people thinking the same thing? If so, how is your idea different? Does this opportunity provide a specific return or just a general promise?

2. Does the idea provide value? Does the opportunity provide a specific strategy?

Sometimes great ideas are just fun things to think about. If your idea has legs, it provides a real value or service to a real need in the market. What does your idea contribute to the world? If you’re considering a new opportunity, does that opportunity rely on strategy or luck? Do some research to make sure a solid strategy is behind the fancy presentation.

3. Can the idea be executed well?

In the end, every great idea and fancy opportunity comes down to execution. Unicorns are fascinating, but they don't work. The idea can't be put into practice in a way that is unique, different, and beneficial to the market. If you can’t figure out how to plan it and predict it, it’s probably not worth your time.

Unicorns are everywhere. Learning to distinguish them from great ideas isn't always easy, but is necessary if you're going to navigate the risk of growing your business with confidence and success.

Have you ever chased a unicorn? How have you learned to distinguish the unicorns from the great ideas?