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“Why would I want to do that?”

I’m working with a friend on a chat application that we think is a unique approach to an idea that’s been around for a few years, but has never been implemented in a sensible way. When I tell people at work or at school about it, most of them get pretty excited, but I’ve noticed that I get quite a different reaction when I explain it to non-”tech-savvy” people. Their response is either, “I don’t get it,” or more frequently, “Why would I want to do that?”

At first, I found this response rather disheartening, since as an entrepreneur, my top priority is to make something that people are going to want. After some reflection, though, I think that this response is OK. I think about applications like Facebook and Twitter, both of which are hugely popular presently, but would have sounded tedious and pointless to Joe Sixpack a year or two before they were launched.

I’m crossing my fingers, and hoping that when I have a workable demo to show non-tech people, they will “get it” and be as excited as my technologically inclined peers. Is this leap of faith necessary, or am I being foolish in trying to sell people something that they may not readily understand?

Either way, I think my elevator pitch needs some work.