Testing Out An Idea
Trying out something new can be scary. Especially something like a business or side hustle. There’s the added pressure to make something of it and make money. But there are ways to get started that doesn’t require as much risk.
Testing out an idea is a smart way to get started.
Partially to see if it is viable and a source of income and whether or not you actually want to do it. It may make you money as you thought but the structure can take up too much time or adds way too much stress to you. Or you find you love doing this thing but haven’t quite figured out how to make enough for it to be worth the work.
All these points are very valid. And if one thing doesn’t work now does not mean it is a failure. You either need to give it time to build up or just need to make a few adjustments. Even if you need to scrap it, it wasn’t a complete loss. You still learned from it.
The first thing to do it Plan It Out. Anything you can think out. This does not need to be a full plan with all the details about everything. But enough to know what you are doing. Know what your end goal is and work backwards to what you need to get started.
What will you be doing / making?
Who are your customers?
How will you make this?
How will you reach your customers?
Where are they?
What are their needs that you can solve?
What are the bare minimum tools you need
The pieces you need to do the service or make the product
Will there be any marketing costs (ie: logo, website, photos, paid assistance, fees for venues, etc)?
How will you get paid and take money? (get a separate bank account) (cash only, card reader, online market, PayPal, etc)
These are some of the questions you need to figure out to get started. Thee will be a lot more you will need to figure out once you get things rolling. Get enough structure in place so you are not scrambling later. So that the customer does not feel the pain of you being new. And so if things take off faster then you anticipated you have a foundation to build from.
The main reason to plan first is make sure you have enough figured out to actually be prepared. Not to just jump in and hope for the best. Even if it will be small you still need to respect the endeavor and respect your customers.
Once you have that figured out the next thing to do it pre-sell it. Get it out in front of your customer. Get interest to build up. Actually see if there is a need for what you have out there.