Freelove wrote:
The difference between being a millionaire and a billionaire is mostly luck. People like Bill Gates got to be rich by having good ideas at the right time, not by their monumental work ethics or brilliance. Many people have those qualities. Few people have the good fortune to have the right kind of idea at the right time.
You're right. My dad used to tell me timing was a big factor in a lot of things. I always thing of Newton and Leibnitz with calculus. Both men achieved the same thing, but, timing (and a few other often undiscussed things) leave history as more often than not crediting its invention to Newton. Timing is important. Imagine the beatles 5 years earlier (or later). That thought, of being "ahead of your time", kills me. I actually thought of red box in 1995, but, didn't have the capital to pursue it. Vending machines with soundtracks at movie theaters was my idea. Movies were still in VHS. You could do credit card charges directly from machines back then, but, I worried too much about losing 2 grand if some kid broke into my machine. Plus, the technology wasn't there. I seriously considered it, but chalked it up as another hair-brained idea. Ten years later, when internet connectivity became ubiquitous, CD prices dropped and competition became a reality for Blockbuster Redbox became a reality. Right idea...wrong time.