"I wish there was…."
Those four words have created more products and businesses than probably any others.
Seeing a need or having a need is where almost every idea comes from; it’s where businesses are born.
Everything you have ever needed or wanted was created by someone who asked, “Wouldn’t it be great if something existed to help me do ‘x?’” and then made a decision to create that very thing.
What’s interesting to think about is that they were probably not the first one to ask the “Wouldn’t it be great if…” question. There were most likely countless other people who said those same words but then didn’t think about it any further.
Why is it that some people say those words and never consider doing anything about them while others immediately begin to develop a solution in their heads?
You might say that those types of people have an “entrepreneurial brain.” But that type of opportunity thinking is a habit that can be developed by anyone.
Think about a time when you heard or thought something that you got excited about. Most people do one of two things when that happens; they either treat it as a passing thought and it's gone almost immediately or they begin to overthink it and quickly smother a good idea with details and roadblocks and end up talking themselves out of it.
People who have developed the “entrepreneurial brain” habit do something different. They think about taking action and talk to themselves about what it might look like.
You might say the “entrepreneurial brain” is really the “paying attention brain.” There is an art to paying attention, listening for opportunities, and having an open mind that looks for solutions. When you begin paying attention and listening, you begin to hear the same wants and needs over and over, and you may begin to see opportunities for product creation.
For years, I kept hearing people in the direct sales industry saying they wished there was a planner that was made specifically with the direct seller in mind. One that understood what and how people in the industry scheduled and tracked things.
I agreed. There was nothing available that was a planner system specific to the main industry I served. That’s why, although I never considered being in the planner business, I saw an opportunity and decided a planner was a good addition to my consulting and training business.
I did a little research to see what was actually out there, ordered a few planners, and did some comparative analysis. I asked myself what I could do differently and what I could make better.
Four years later, my planner is one of the most sought-after in the direct sales world.
Before I heard so many people asking for one, it was something I never gave much thought to. Now, my yearly planner is a top seller on my product page every year. It reminded me of what business really is all about - helping to find solutions for other peoples’ needs.
Here is how you can begin developing your own “entrepreneurial brain,” and what the next steps are once you have an idea.
First - Listen For the Four Words
If you keep hearing people say the same things (“I wish there was…”), there is a need! Where there is a need, there is an opportunity!
That’s not to say that you have to be the one that creates the solutions to all those needs, but it should make you sit back and think about what are there needs for that you can offer the solutions to?
As you go through your day-to-day life, be in a problem-solving mindset and you will begin to see opportunities that others do not. When you see ones that align with your talents and value, take some action and ask yourself what that solution might look like.
Next, See If a Solution Already Exists
You might have a great idea or solution, but check first to see if someone already came up with it before you invest a lot of time or energy.
After That, Decide If You Can Improve Upon it
Could you do it differently? What would make it even better? Asking these questions gets you thinking like an entrepreneur. After all, you don’t need to create the same thing that is already out there; take the idea and start making it different.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect! Just start thinking differently and then take some action to create it.
Get Input From Others
I am a fan of putting together focus groups or think-tanks of colleagues or friends to offer their thoughts and input. The opportunity here is that others can see things you might not see. Two heads are better than one. Feel free to have anyone involved to sign a basic NDA (non-disclosure agreement), which you can find on the internet.
Continue to Improve Upon It
Once you figure out how to make something different, that doesn’t have to be the end of the process. With my planner, the 2021 edition looks very different from the 2018 version. The 2018 version looked very different from the other planners that were on the market at that time. But we kept listening to our customers and continued to make changes and adjustments based on their wants and needs. Every year, we asked ourselves how we could take what’s good and make it even better.
It’s because we continue to listen that sales for the planner increase about 40% every year.
When you hear an idea again and again, there’s an opportunity there. When your gifts and talents line up with that, it’s like a confirmation and it’s worth exploring. Start flexing your problem-solving muscles and watch potential product or service ideas begin to bloom around you.