'Zoom' your business

• By Ian Sanders
• 09 Jan 2012

So you've got your killer idea, your shiny new MOO cards have arrived and your website’s ready to roll?

Congratulations - you’re now officially ready to make your business happen! Of course, having the idea is easier than actually turning it into reality. If you're looking for the factor that's going to make a difference in your success, try doing it fast; try speed.

It isn't having the idea that wins; it's how fast you execute. Software start-ups have known this for ages, where in the long tail of the apps market, developers make their products fit for purpose and launch early, rather than wait until it's perfect. 'Fit for purpose' means while it’s still a prototype, you’re shipping a product of value - it has to do its job, solve the problem, fix the headache. Getting it out early and listening to user feedback and making adaptations as you go keeps you ahead of the competition.

For 'Zoom!' we spoke to MOO founder Richard Moross and learnt that his success was due to his first iteration of the business failing: the fact that it didn't work led him to reinvent the idea into MOO.COM. Richard's success as an entrepreneur was about launching his idea, seeing what worked and what didn't, and adapting. Without the early launch he wouldn't have made that discovery. Nothing beats prototyping an idea, testing it, listening to user feedback and making changes.

So - here are three ways to 'Zoom' your business idea to reality:

1. Take your idea to market rapidly

We've seen too many business owners sit on their ideas for months or years without the courage to actually launch them. Stop procrastinating and start doing.

2. Try Salami-slicing

Taking your idea and making it real can be daunting. To avoid dealing with a herculean task in going from that light-bulb moment to launch, break down the process into salami-slice tasks and action points that are easier to execute. It will help you reach your destination quicker.

3. Prototype, experiment and test

If you wanted to quickly test a business idea a decade ago, it wouldn't be very easy. But today with online tools you can test and adjust your ideas as you go. You'll find real feedback from the marketplace is more valuable to an investor or partner than hypothetical models.

I’ll leave the last words to Guy Kawasaki, venture capitalist and former chief evangelist of Apple. He told us that you'll never know what is great until you get your product into the hands of real life customers, "You'll learn more about your product in the first week after shipping than fifty two weeks thinking about and studying and doing focus groups. Your research is shipping, that's what market research is: ship."

So get your product out there …. quick!

Ian Sanders is an author, ideas guy and marketing expert. His new book, co-written with David Sloly is Zoom! The Faster Way To Make Your Business Idea Happen.

Written on:

09 Jan 2012

Categories:

Setting up a Business