Last week, Zac Johnson published a post on his blog that is definitely worth revisiting. In short, he hears all the time about people saying, “That was my idea.” These people encounter successful business models or products, and then claim that the original idea was theirs.

The original idea may have been theirs, but they never put that idea into action. They never investigated how viable such an idea would be in the marketplace. They never explored its possibilities. They never developed the idea into something tangible in real. In short, they left the idea as exactly that: only an idea.

When it comes to running a successful business, both online and offline, you have to take some chances and some calculated risks. If you think you have a clever idea for a new product or service, invest in the idea and see where it can take you. In the grand scheme of things, the cost of that research and hiring some outsourcers is fairly minimal compared to the potential for having a real winner on your hands.

Don’t allow yourself to hear about something fantastic in the marketplace, only to think to yourself that it was your idea all along. Seize the opportunity, put in the effort, and turn that idea into an actionable plan. Otherwise, you’ll always be feeling like you missed out.