What Happens When Bad Ideas Escape the Drawing Board – Shuddle

I like to read Entrepreneur.com. I like to read about courageous visionaries that throw caution to the wind and pursue something they are passionate about. I also believe the inherent goal of most entrepreneurs is to solve a need.

Sometimes no matter how big the need may be, the solution just isn’t a good idea.

The Need

If you are visiting this site, you are most likely very similar to me. You are probably trying to launch an online business or passion project while working a full-time job and taking care of your family. Insane, right?

None of us have any time. We are booked solid with a seemingly never-ending list of more things to do.

Parents are busy in general. We all know that.

Add in a side hustle and you are reaching the proverbial “one legged man in an ass kicking contest” kind of busy.

Kids literally drive us insane. I’ve written about this on many occasions. From taking your kids to various after-school practices to making sure they make their band concert – times are hectic. If you need any proof, just check the odometer on my truck. Over 85,000 miles in just under 3 years.

Being an entrepreneur parent, this is the exact situation where million dollar ideas are born. You have identified a pain point, there is a need, and you are ready to solve it. You have a brilliant idea!

The Opportunity

I’m speaking from experience on this one. I actually had this very same idea a couple of years ago when I was shuttling my kids all over Northern Virginia.

I thought to myself as I was driving down the road, “hmmm, what if there were a service that could take your kids places FOR YOU?” This was promptly followed by an audible, “nahhhhh, that’s stupid! Who in their right mind would let their kid go off with somebody they don’t know?”

This brings me back to Entrepreneur.com and the article I had stumbled upon the other day.

The (Bad) Idea

The article, titled Busy Parents: Meet Shuddle, the Uber for Kids hit me smack in the face. I was immediately drawn to it. Had someone actually pursued this insane idea and made it a legit business? Really? I had to read more.

As I continued to read the article I just couldn’t believe it.

The basic premise is you schedule someone else (a &*@#$ stranger!) to swing by and pick up junior to take him to practice. Or even better, meet your little baby girl somewhere to put her in their backseat so they can take her to ballet class.

YEAH RIGHT!

Even looking at that picture makes my skin crawl. Casually waving as your child walks off to get into some stranger’s car.

Oh sure, they tout their high standards, their background checks, their “19 point inspections”, their references, and all the sunshine they want to blow up your you know where, but I’m not buying.

I can’t imagine any parent that I know signing up for their service, regardless of how cheap it is or how many minutes it saves me in my day.

This is a bad situation waiting to happen. I don’t see this company sticking around for very long. And God forbid something happens. Call me paranoid or call me safe, just don’t call me a Shuddle car.

Look, I get it. As entrepreneurs we have a ton of ideas floating around in our heads. Many of them are documented in notebooks strewn around the house, but that doesn’t mean they are all good.

Some ideas need to remain in the book, never to see the light of day. Shuddle is one of those ideas.

I would love to hear your take. Would you use a service like this? Sound off below.