When people talk to us about various projects, I generally try to learn more about their business and offer suggestions. Most people have a good idea of what they want to do, since they know their customers and their business. So when they say, "I need a Web site," we can talk about good ways to present their business online.
But sometimes you talk to someone who is so confused that you realize, "wow, I SO don’t want this guy as a client." Today I got one of those calls. First our caller described what is essentially an elaborate database site. Okay, fine. But then he volunteers that he "doesn’t really have a computer or know anything about the Internet." Uh oh.
Now, I’m sorry, but if you have a business idea, it’s not a good idea to just leap into it to the point of talking to someone about developing custom programming before you’ve done obvious things like a Google search. His database site was going to be about a subject that he apparently thought was obscure. He kept giving me analogies to chefs and baby clothes, when in fact the site was related to real estate. Finally, I asked him, "so what does this acronym you keep using stand for?" He didn’t know. So I did a Google search on the acronym myself and told him what it was. (Sheesh.)
At the same time, I found a site virtually identical to the one he was describing. I asked, "so did you know that there’s another site that already does this?"
I gave him the URL and I figured he’d go into a long litany about how his site was going to be better, smarter, faster, whatever. But no. He actually hadn’t even looked.
And people wonder why so many businesses fail?!