Your idea. Is it time to throw the baby out with the bath water?

So a couple of years ago you chose an idea.  It was one you thought really made sense to launch. You asked a few friends and they didn't protest much.  So you invested a few bucks and got it started. Maybe it wasn't your only gig, but it was your idea.

Now here we are a few years later and things are pretty slow.  Your idea is still out there for people to buy or use.  You've tried to make a few changes here and a few tweaks there but things haven't progressed.  You certainly can't quit, right?

When is it time to throw the baby out with the bath water?

The old saying implies that you should not blame the baby for the dirty appearance of the water.  But it was the baby that got it dirty in the first place, right?  So if you've cleaned the tub a number of times and the water keeps getting dirty, maybe it IS the baby's fault.

What if you let it all go down the drain?  Quietly, in the middle of the night, so no one can witness your act of treason?  Sometimes it's just the right thing to do. 

If you believe in the premise of Quixoting - that your ideas deserve a public audience - and you decide to launch it in some fashion, how do you know when it is time to give up?  Some might say that you should never give up.  That those who give up leave opportunities for those still pushing hard.  

I believe that there is an end date for some ideas.  As painful as it sounds, you need to recognize when perhaps you've created something that others don't want.  That your idea, it turns out, was fascinating to you at one time, but did not have the appeal to deliver real value in this cluttered world.

But, you know what?  You launched it.  You gave it a shot.  There is always some level of risk with new ideas.  That's what makes it exciting.

So, here's what you need to do.  Think it through and decide.

1. Have you tried every reasonable angle to gain customers?
2. Did you give it enough time to succeed (at least a year)? 
3. Are people around you hinting that maybe you should take a break?
4. Are you lacking 3rd party endorsements (people telling other people about your idea)?  

If all answers to the questions above are yes, perhaps its time to pull the plug.  Welcome to the world of inventors and idea people.  Where failure is an expected part of the process.

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