One of the surprising lessons I learned in business school is that entrepreneurship is about execution not ideas. Lots of people come up with good ideas but only a few people are in the right place with the right resources at the right time to capitalize on them.

Three years ago I had to come up with a new product idea and write a marketing plan for it. My idea was a cell phone for an aging population (everyone else is focusing on the young and techno-hip with more features and smaller keys).

A simple but good phone, long battery life, a big screen and big buttons...

And here it is. Someone else is finally executing on this (rather obvious) idea.

Simple Cells: Basic Phones Put to the Test

KATHERINE BOEHRET

December 19, 2007

Wall Street Journal

The cellphones that so many of us carry around in our pockets every day are packed with functionality. They can be used for Web browsing, watching TV, purchasing digital music, gaming, Bluetooth synching, capturing photos and videos, instant messaging and GPS navigation. Oh, and they also make phone calls.

It seems that this last attribute -- the ability to make and receive calls on a cellphone -- is overlooked and underestimated by many manufacturers. But believe it or not, there are plenty of people out there who simply want to use their cellphones for calls, period.

These individuals range from college students who frequently damage or lose their phones to wary, first-time buyers to senior citizens whose kids or grandchildren insist they use a cellphone. About a year ago, GreatCall Inc. introduced its Jitterbug cellphones, which were aimed squarely at the senior set with large keys, a free operator service and the phone's own number prominently displayed on a sticker.

It seems that GreatCall was on to something. Verizon Wireless recently followed the company's lead by introducing its straightforward, no frills Coupe, a cellphone that offers many of the helpful traits found on Jitterbug phones, like large screen fonts, but without a lot of extras. Verizon simultaneously unveiled two calling plans designed specifically for seniors, and was followed a month later by AT&T and its own monthly plan for those 65 and over. AT&T also has an uncomplicated phone of its own in the works for 2008.