Saddle a Unicorn Illusion

There is a special folly in preparing elaborately for what does not exist: the perfect plan for the mythical market, the meticulous saddle for the unicorn. It is rarer than ordinary folly and more expensive, because the preparation feels like work and the unicorn feels like a vision.

Watch for the signs. The plan's beauty depends on conditions that have never been observed. The resources are real; the opportunity is rumoured. Everyone involved prefers discussing the saddle to verifying the horse.

This is how startups die building for imagined users, how students prepare for careers that no longer exist, how policies are crafted for citizens as the planners wish them to be. The unicorn is always plausible — that is what makes saddles sell.

The discipline is one rude question, asked early: has anyone seen the animal? Not the slide about the animal, not the report about the animal — the animal. If not, build the fence first, cheaply, and leave the saddle in the shop. Verify existence before you invest in equipment. The horse trade begins with horses.