I Thought I Had a Brilliant Business Idea—Until a 6-Year-Old Called Me Out
Allon Raiz, the founder and CEO of Raizcorp, is no stranger to entrepreneurship. Often hailed as one of South Africa’s leading voices in business incubation, Raiz recently shared a humbling and humorous story that underscores a lesson many entrepreneurs overlook: if a 6-year-old can’t understand your business idea, it might be too complicated.
“I have huge compassion for people who cannot keep things simple. I am one of them. If there were something called Complexity Anonymous, I would need to go to their meetings.”
says Raiz
Raiz describes himself as a “recovering complexity addict.” Like many entrepreneurs, he once believed that complexity equated to intelligence and innovation. But time and experience taught him otherwise.
“Being in business has taught me that the only person I impress with my complexity is myself – and perhaps my mom.”
In a candid reflection, he recounts how he thought he had developed a brilliant business idea—only to be met with confusion when he tried to explain it to a young child. That interaction sparked a revelation: if someone doesn’t grasp your concept within minutes, it doesn’t matter how innovative, time-saving, or cost-effective it is—people simply won’t care.
According to Raiz, the path to clarity is not always immediate.
“For me, this process of simplification is a journey. I often explain things in a complex manner initially, then over time, begin to cull the words and simplify the idea.”
He emphasizes that refining a business concept is about continuous editing—stripping it down to the fewest, most impactful words.
“It’s a journey to the fewest words that get the concept across effectively and convincingly. That’s better,”.
he notes, exemplifying the very principle he’s trying to teach
“If you explain your business to a 6-year-old and they cannot understand what you do, then keep simplifying until they do.”
Raiz leaves fellow entrepreneurs with this golden rule:
Through this story, Allon Raiz reminds us that simplicity is not the opposite of brilliance—it’s often the final form of it.
