How do you launch an idea with the least amount of effort? You don’t exactly. The most effort you exert is in the beginning as you hone and define your value proposition and market strategy. Launching an idea successfully takes commitment and a solid vision that motivates others. Your goal is to take your idea from inside your head to a product or business others want to pay for. At the launch phase, you’re ready for momentum and giving your clients/buyers what they need. Afterwards, it will be a steady climb to sales and growth. The more successful your launch, the more likely you’ll be a success later on.
What follows should be a cinch if you have your ducks in a row. These steps will help you with an easy launch. Rinse and repeat until you get it right.
1. Read for motivation and focus.
An important element when you first launch an idea is to get your mind right. Feed it knowledge, strategies, motivation and innovative techniques. I recommend any book by Robert Greene, and The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton M. Christensen. There are countless books that appeal to each personality type and break down internal barriers to success and limitless potential.
2. Limit time for conducting research.
One hour on the computer can turn into 3–4 hours before you even notice. Reserve these draining efforts for a few days a week. You can spend these days researching as many hours as you want. On other days you are free to get back to action-oriented items like making calls, replying to emails, and taking appointments.
3. Build something you can test.
This is a level up from your standard thought experiment. There’s a lot of talk these days about MVP, a minimum viable product. Explainer videos, landing pages, blogs, pop-up shops, and interviews are a few examples. This means that you don’t spend loads of cash up front before you launch or test the needs of your market. You get to spend time perfecting what you want to create, and launching it with full confidence.
4. Invite a private beta group.
The beta process involves anywhere from a few weeks to months testing your idea. Choose people you know, but make the bulk of your beta group people you never met. Family and friends have a way of either agreeing with everything you do, or not taking your new venture seriously. There are several sites that can get you in front of beta users in no time.
5. Re-build with new ideas and features.
Don’t rush to launch until you know your product better than anything else. Take what you learned in your testing phase, and add new features to your product. Feel free to experiment and run another test when done. This next phase should either be the launch of your business, or a better prototype if you need to keep testing.
6. Create buzz to attract funding, subscribers.
With all the talk of attracting investors and supporters, publicity rarely gets the respect it deserves. It is completely free, and the rewards can be priceless. Arrange a launch party at a cafe or local lounge, and notify local press. Another option is to email magazine editors directly about your launch. The days where editors sat behind iron gates are over. Get out there and start making some waves.
Launching a business or idea takes support from others like mentors, advisers, and buyers. You can’t be an entrepreneur alone. Once you launch your dream, you’ll increase your visibility and attract opportunities that can change your life, and maybe even the world. Launch an idea one step and at a time. Easy does it.
Featured photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2715583000 via flickr.com
