What I’ve learned about creating products in my service-based business
I ask all of my email subscribers from time to time to tell me about their goals and what they’re currently working towards. And like clockwork, every month or so someone tells me they are a service-based business owner ready to take the next step in creating products for their business. With my first ecourse launch (registration is now closed, but you can get on the list to find out when it opens again), I thought it would be the perfect time to share some lessons I’ve learned along the way.
There will never be enough time.
My first ebook took a year to create because I kept telling myself I’d focus on it when things slowed down. Things never slow down. There will always be a more pressing issue.
At some point, you’ll just have to decide to put the time in. It’s honestly like taking on a second job — though the good news is, it’s only for a short time. The more you create, the more you’ll get used to the process and learn how to balance it with your regular work. Plus, it will take you less time to produce your idea when you’re really on fire to do it rather than waiting for the time to be right.
The more you create, the more you’ll get used to the process and learn how to balance it.
Click To Tweet - Powered By CoSchedule
Keep it simple.
I’m sure you have a million ideas. And for every idea you have, you can think of a million extra ways to make it even better.
More is not better. The value of your product is in sharing your specific expertise with people who don’t have it. They don’t need to know everything you know. In fact, they probably don’t want to know everything you know — they have enough of their own work to do! They just need help with one small problem, one little pain point in their business. (Hint: it’s probably something so simple and obvious to you that it may not even occur to you to address it!)
Plus, the more you try to do, the more time you spend on something that may not even be what your audience is looking for. Put your most basic idea out there first, then get feedback to improve it. No sense in wasting time creating something people don’t need, or creating more than they want.
No sense in wasting time creating something people don’t need, or creating more than they want.
Click To Tweet - Powered By CoSchedule
Get it out there quickly.
I launched Code Create Now six weeks after I committed to making it happen. Setting a tight deadline for myself kept the momentum going and took the pressure off of me to keep tweaking to make it “perfect.” It also kept the excitement up during my launch because it wasn’t just coming “someday,” it was coming now. It made it real. It doesn’t matter how excited people are by your original idea, they aren’t going to remember it 3 months down the road — and then you have to build that excitement up all over again.
Don’t be afraid.
Something I hear from a lot of people is that they don’t think their idea is unique, and there are so many products already out there that they don’t want to add to the noise.
First of all, consider that you’re more aware of the noise because you’re in the industry. For some people in your audience, your idea is something they’ve never seen before. How many times have you mentioned someone you are certain everyone must know, only to get a confused look from your friend? The internet is a big, big place, and we don’t all hang out in the same crowds or have the same heroes.
Second of all, your product will be unique simply because you create it. We all have different approaches to the same problem. Your way is going to be a better fit for someone in your audience than someone else’s way.
If you take nothing else away from this post, I hope you’ll remember this: if you are thinking about creating a product for your service-based business, just go for it! You’ve figured out everything else in your business up until this point, and you can figure this out too.
Love this post? Read more at elembee.com or sign up to receive weekly emails to help you look your best online.
