Ideas from other Entrepreneurs?

Supplementing the questions of the journalist, who Martin just wrote about, I can add another question that we often get, most recently when Thomas Mølgaard and I visited the Iværk fair yesterday:
Do you accept ideas from outside Rainmaking and cooperate with other entrepreneurs?
We might be getting some pretty good ideas in Rainmaking, but in all likelihood there are even better ideas in the world around us. So why do we love our own ideas so much then? We probably could cooperate with other entrepreneurs with excellent business ideas, but lack the execution power?
The Rainmaking Way
When we start a new project it is crucial to be able to do it "The Rainmaking Way" without large hesitation or resistance. This e.g. means that we typically run a small test of the business model and only carry on if we believe that the company can be sold at a three digit million amount within 5 years.

Consequently we have a high degree of portfolio-thinking in our approach to our companies and are not afraid to kill "zombie firms", that don’t create the expected value and hence causes defocusing. Subsequently The Rainmaking Way requires a high level of cold-bloodedness which is rare amongst entrepreneurs who enter a project with all the time, savings and lifeblood and neither can’t nor will let go, even if the potential proves to be smaller than hoped for.
Open to ideas and new partnerships
In this way our reservations can be boiled down to two criteria: (1) there must be a potential for a three digit million exit within 5 years and (2) we must be able to conduct the project The Rainmaking Way. The latter doesn’t necessarily mean that we need the dominant part of the ownership, but we do need the authority of decision and hence be able to carry out the project as a part of our culture and best practices.

Within these boundaries we are always open and ready for dialogue. We even have a policy stating that Rainmaking will give up a 5% share to the originator if the company is based on an external business idea. Such ideas can come from creative individuals or companies who see a market potential, which they can’t or will not meet but still prefer to see the idea launched rather than forgotten.

Write about your business ideas on this blog or comment on our attitude to cooperating with other entrepreneurs.