Being right but not right now

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"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."
  --  Victor Hugo

I have wondered about the Hugo quote above from both sides.  Is there anything less powerful than an idea whose time hasn't arrived?

As an investor, it can feel that way when you're backing a company that you believe to the core of your being is right about the opportunity/market/product but whose progression is slow.  For the entrepreneur, this can all be about the power of perseverance.   Which isn't to say that the entrepreneur's persistence is less admirable for its necessity.   It can be tough to hang in there as long as it can sometime to take to realize one's moment in the sun.

This highlights an investor internal dialogue that the adept entrepreneur should seek to engage within investment discussion.  The investor is pondering both whether something is a good idea AND whether this is the right time for this good idea.  Many an entrepreneur can leave a meeting with the correct conviction that the investor believes in their idea but remain confused as why the investor fails to act.

That reluctance to act is often related to doubts about timing.    In my case, I recall my entrepreneurial decision to create a site called myroom.com in 1997 aimed at teenagers.  The site allowed users to create private webpages online and was equipped with a variety of tools including music and page creation wizards.  The thought was this young audience would enjoy the social aspect of their own private space online that intersected with other private spaces.  The userbase, though small, loved it.  I thought then and now, that it was a good idea.   It might have been early.  It was certainly beyond the patience and associated financial support of my backers.

So, if you're going to make a case for something being right with investors, you would be served to make your case include support for why it is also "right now".