How to begin?

6 Comments

1. IrinaOctober 26,2020 at 6:20PM UTC

   We all go through that phase I guess. It's part of the process. You are the only one who can make them implementable so the first step is to check in with yourself how much you feel represented in these ideas and which one is something you can support even on a rainy day.
   The second step is test your idea out there in the market. This is often something people overlook and it comes back to hit them hard later on. At this point you pretty much need to "forget" everything you know about your ideal customer and ask a significant number of people who fit into the profile you built what they want along the lines of what you intend to offer. Open ended questions, let them talk, be a first grader who never heard anything about that topic in her life. The more they say, the better you understand if your idea is a solution to their problem.
   The third step is to understand how urgent is for your ideal client to solve that problem NOW. The more urgent, the most likely they will buy and the more profitable your idea will prove.
   Of course all these steps are a few weeks worth of work and there are better ways than other to get there but this one way to sift through confusion. And the more accurate the execution of these steps the smoother the business will become.
   Best of luck!

2. Kristi MitchellDecember 3,2020 at 9:21PM UTC

   I've been self employed for almost 2 years and I wish I would have taken a strengths-based assessment when I first started. It would have helped me get clear on what I'm really good at and how to narrow the focus of my business so that I'm leveraging my strengths and working in a zone that makes me happiest. I'm going through a group coaching program now that centers on the Clifton Strengths Assessment and it's been immensely helpful.

3. Judith Pinto, Occupational Therapist (Alberta, CA), Mental Health SpecialistMarch 26,2021 at 3:18AM UTC

   That sounds like a really useful process, Kristi! I recently bounced a business idea off a colleague and she thought it was great! and then asked me if I was "delighted" to think about helping people solve that particular problem in life. The answer was (as she likely guessed from something in my demeanour) a resounding "no!". She then suggested that I might not want that to become the thing I spend most of my days doing. Solid advice! I hope you find something that helps you feel excited and inspired!

4. Amelia Cosgrove ThomasNovember 2,2021 at 4:04AM UTC

   An important question you have to ask yourself is what your goals are for the business: Do you want to do something that will support just you, do you want to build a small/medium business that will have a few employees, or are you swinging for the fences and you want to build the next Google? Any one of them is fine, but your answer will help you understand what you need to do next. I totally agree with Irina that you need to talk to customers, I would add that you should also look for other people who have built businesses with ideas similar to yours. Ask them out for coffee and find out how they got started and what they learned. Last thing, don't be scared someone is going to steal your idea, most people can't even find the time and energy to pursue their big dreams, let alone go after yours.

5. Jacqueline JonesFebruary 13,2023 at 4:46AM UTC

   The test is in the sale. Has anyone paid you for any of your ideas?

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