Michael Furdyk was the guest speaker at the "Communities of Change" Luncheon Series on November 15, 2002. He spoke of his successes and shared the failures he has encountered along the way. His main message to the more than 150 people in attendance, however, was that if you have a good idea, don't wait. Build it; don't be afraid to fail along the way as long as you learn from your mistakes; and promote your product as much as possible.

The event was sponsored by e-sudbury.com as part of the organizations effort to introduce the City of Greater Sudbury to the wonders and possibilities of the new technology.

At the age of 16, Michael Furdyk and a friend developed and sold MyDesktop.com for more than $1 million. Since then he has been involved in numerous other successful ventures and is currently working on several new pieces of proprietary technology for the next wave of digital revolution. He is a co-founder of TakingITGlobal, a non-profit company that is helping youth around the world realize the potential of technology. He also co-founded BuyBuddy.com, which recently closed a $4.5 million round of funding.

During his presentation, he described how he became interested in sales at the age of three when he set up stand at the end of his driveway and sold blades of grass that he had taken from his backyard.

"People actually gave me money for my blades of grass. I know they were just being nice to me, but I learned a valuable lesson that has become the secret to success," explained Furdyk. "In order to succeed, all you need is a good idea and the ability to produce an effective product or service. That can allow you to earn money which you can then use to purchase things you want. It worked with I was selling blades of grass at the age of three. I found that I could take the money I got from selling blades of grass and buy candy with it."

Furdyk stated that there are three key things to focus on when developing an idea.

"First of all, if you have a good idea, start now and build it. Don't wait until you get investors or partners. Just start and make your idea come to life. If you are passionate about what you do, go for it! The investors and partners will come later. Investors always like to see something that has already been started or working. They don't like to invest in ideas that haven't been proven."

Secondly, don't be afraid to fail. You have to think of each of your failures as a learning experience. As a matter of fact, most successful business people failed consistently, but they kept moving forward making things better each time they tried. If you have a good idea, never give up, just improve on what was done before and things will happen.

Finally, promote your product or service in as many ways and places as possible. And try to do it as cheaply as possible. Get people talking about your product and the word will spread."