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"I don't know what product to sell" How You Choose A Product-Based Business

carlissa91

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One thing that I've definitely learned in the past year is that ego is what is holding alot of people back. Ryan Holiday's book Ego is the Enemy is great. Reading that combined with my ayahuasca experience has made me very aware of my decisions and how many are ego based. Once you can get rid of ego (or at least minimize it), alot of things become very easy for you.
I absolutely agree and Great job of going outside the box to learn more about yourself. The book 177 Mental toughness secrets of the world class by Steve Siebold is another great book about the reference point of operation in thought that drives successful businesses. The inner framework of thoughts and feelings is where 90% of creation takes place. The other 10% is the process of going through the consistent actions that produce the desired results.
 
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Antti

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I tried that. It holds the bear spray where your water bottle cage is. But on my bike, that wouldn't fit, which is why I need another solution. Most new full suspension bikes can't hold large water bottles now because the rear shock is located there.

Would something like this be better than a rack on bike? Or does this make riding too uncomfortable. One downside comes to mind about a bike rack, if you are taking a break and away from your bike, you cannot access the spray in case a bear decides to attack you.
 
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biophase

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Would something like this be better than a rack on bike? Or does this make riding too uncomfortable. One downside comes to mind about a bike rack, if you are taking a break and away from your bike, you cannot access the spray in case a bear decides to attack you.

That would work if you were not wearing a backpack. I'd rather have it on me than on my bike.
 

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I've been up all night and my mind might be off... But, that intro post was golden. And I felt like contributing to the bear attack prevention while on a bike idea;
  • What about having the bear spray as a detachable handle that would replace the existing handle on the bike's handlebar?
  • Also, what about bear tazers? Is that a thing?
 
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Strm

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Thanks for this @biophase , I really needed this.
It's pretty common sense when I come to think about it but for some reason I always try to look at what others are doing. Should focus on the everyday life more and not be so selfish. Long term!

Great thread!
 
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eliquid

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4. Come up with me-too versions of several hot products.
5. Improve them in some by adding features or benefits the original lacks.

My presentation at the last summit sorta touched on this.

I didn't have the "hot products" part, but I talked about how being an authority would help you add features and benefits to products to already similar existing products and enable you to build something you can then sell.

My presentation talked a lot about my SaaS, but it could be done with products too ( or info products ).

.
 

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Who will benefit from my business?

In this case it is the bees that would benefit. Humans would indirectly benefit. Because I haven't figured it out yet on that thread, let's just assume that I decide that donating 50% proceeds to the USA beekeeping foundation(USABKF, I just made that up) is the best course of action.

Why do I want to start that business?

Because I care about the environment, nature and animals.

What business do I want to start?

So here's the incredible part! Does the product matter? The purpose of my business is to donate 50% to the USABKF. So now I need to figure out a product. It should be high volume because my goal is to donate as much as possible. So now I pick something. (As I look around my desk) Sunglasses! Bee Sunglasses! Now I source high quality sunglasses just like everyone else trying to get into the sunglasses market. But guess what? I already know how I'm going to market it and I'm sure you do too.

Maybe I understood incorrectly.
Who is the customer of the bee sunglasses? How does it benefit the customer?
(Bees and the foundation benefits, but that´s like saying mom benefits from it by getting a house)

One thing that I've definitely learned in the past year is that ego is what is holding alot of people back. Ryan Holiday's book Ego is the Enemy is great. Reading that combined with my ayahuasca experience has made me very aware of my decisions and how many are ego based. Once you can get rid of ego (or at least minimize it), alot of things become very easy for you.

Great book! Everyone should read it, especially those who "love what they do" and "follow their passion". Ego and passion seem to be interlinked, which hinders progress.
Help your clients and everything eventually falls in place.

---

So...I have a question.
Assume you see a lot of job listings for "UX design".
So now you already found a need!
Having the skills for the job listing directly solves these B2B needs.
Could be a logical course of action to build the skills, get a job, and later offer those services like an agency does, and then scale with a human resource system?

Is this the kind of need-first thought-process you are encouraging?
 
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biophase

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I've been up all night and my mind might be off... But, that intro post was golden. And I felt like contributing to the bear attack prevention while on a bike idea;
  • What about having the bear spray as a detachable handle that would replace the existing handle on the bike's handlebar?
  • Also, what about bear tazers? Is that a thing?

I think it would make your handlebar uneven in weight, which would suck to ride with. The cans are also pretty big.

No, that's not a thing. Bears have so much fur and fat that I doubt a tazer would do much.
 

biophase

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Maybe I understood incorrectly.
Who is the customer of the bee sunglasses? How does it benefit the customer?
(Bees and the foundation benefits, but that´s like saying mom benefits from it by getting a house)

So...I have a question.
Assume you see a lot of job listings for "UX design".
So now you already found a need!
Having the skills for the job listing directly solves these B2B needs.
Could be a logical course of action to build the skills, get a job, and later offer those services like an agency does, and then scale with a human resource system?

Is this the kind of need-first thought-process you are encouraging?

The customer for the bee sunglasses would be people who are concerned about bees and the environment.

The customer is getting a good pair of sunglasses AND helping a cause that they support, vs. getting just a good pair of sunglasses.

Yes, if you have a skill that is in need, the goal would be to eventually start your own business. First as a self-employed and maybe later as a business owner employing others that have the same skill.
 

Primeperiwinkle

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What if you hooked the can to the middle of the bike (I dunno bike parts, sorry) and then used a little hose and nozzle fixed to the center of the bike handles? If you used a pump mechanism like they have for pesticide.. it could work to shoot a spray out ahead of the bike..

How long does the pressure of those pump nozzles last? Could you pressurize it before the bike ride easily? The pressure would diminish over time..

Does the spray HAVE to be at the bears eyes? I mean if it’s directly in front of the bike that won’t help.. you’d have to ride straight at the bear.

Okay I did a little research. Turns out bear spray is more effective than guns when used correctly but because ppl always put it in their backpacks instead of having it handy - they get hurt.

Then this quote stood out :

“He and government officials recommend that consumers choose a brand with a minimum net content of 7.9 ounces (225 grams) that can discharge a wide cloud of atomized spray up to 30 feet (9 meters) for seven seconds.”

My idea is you make your own proprietary blend, put it in a canister that can be pumped to the right amount prior to the bike ride and it mounts in the middle of the bike with a tiny hose to the front which jets out the cloud.

I have no idea if that’s possible.
 
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Bertram

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What if you hooked the can to the middle of the bike (I dunno bike parts, sorry) and then used a little hose and nozzle fixed to the center of the bike handles? If you used a pump mechanism like they have for pesticide.. it could work to shoot a spray out ahead of the bike..

How long does the pressure of those pump nozzles last? Could you pressurize it before the bike ride easily? The pressure would diminish over time.

Does the spray HAVE to be at the bears eyes? I mean if it’s directly in front of the bike that won’t help.. you’d have to ride straight at the bear.

Okay I did a little research. Turns out bear spray is more effective than guns when used correctly but because ppl always put it in their backpacks instead of having it handy - they get hurt.

Then this quote stood out :

“He and government officials recommend that consumers choose a brand with a minimum net content of 7.9 ounces (225 grams) that can discharge a wide cloud of atomized spray up to 30 feet (9 meters) for seven seconds.”

My idea is you make your own proprietary blend, put it in a canister that can be pumped to the right amount prior to the bike ride and it mounts in the middle of the bike with a tiny hind the hose to the front which jets out the cloud.

I have no idea if that’s possible.
Bear encounters are so annoying. I've had thirteen on trails.
Just affix a can of bear spray with bungie cords to a handlebar pack. Or design a pack with this exterior stretch cord feature on the pack lid.
I'm so grateful to be able to wander through the mountains away from the brown and grizzly habitat.
Peace of mind!
The spray cloud can blow back on you if there's a breeze. It has to be a strong spray stream.
The bear is just as likely to approach from the side or behind the bike.
The can must be extended at arms' length and detached from the bike, in case the rider has jumped off.
There's nothing more unpleasant in life than dealing with a surprised, unknown bear.
Bear cubs and juveniles can be sweet and pleasant to be around if they're accustomed to humans. At the climbing school in Teton National Park, cubs hang out with rock cimbers on climb, just browsing on shrubs within 10-20 feet. They're cinnamon red, nut brown, black, coffee, so cute, unless the tourists disturb them,
But wild bears in the back country are such a pain.
The ones that keep away are OK.
If a bear stands ground or becomes curious, misery sets in. And it's a terrible thing to discover when you've been stalked, after the fact, and had absolutely no clue that it was happening.
These are never good moments.
The danger to cyclists is that pedaling triggers the chase instinct. So the rider has to be off pedaling before the bear sees him.
Loud bells and conversation are good deterrents.


What about a radar device, constucted just like a thin little 2 foot long cable, attached like a little lightweight tail to the back of the bike helmet. It floats on the breeze.
It would be a heat sensor of some kind and alert the riders of any creatures over 300 pounds within a 300 foot radius.
 
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Primeperiwinkle

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Bear encounters are so annoying. I've had thirteen on trails.
I'm so grateful to be able to wander through the mountains away from the brown and grizzly habitat.
Peace of mind!
The spray cloud can blow back on you if there's a breeze. It has to be a strong spray stream.
The bear is just as likely to approach from the side or behind the bike.
The can must be extended at arms' length and detached from the bike, in case the rider has jumped off it.

Ya the bit about blowing back is definitely a concern. So there could be one can and one plastic pump bottle attached to the middle bar between the legs. The can is the aerosol spray which is easily detachable in case a rider has to jump off. The mist could be aimed out the sides of the handlebars so that the wind would push it behind the rider.

Problem solved. IF (and that’s a big if) the tubes and pump system could work... huh.
 

Xeon

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This is a great video example of someone launching a new product and crushing it.
View: https://youtu.be/LvDYgSWT8F0

He sold out $120k of inventory in under an hour. So that's probably what, $500k in sales in 30 minutes?

I don't think that guy is a good example. He already has a base of 398,000 Youtube subscribers (and God knows how much more on Twitter/FB/Instagram). This is basically a case of Kylie Jenner or Gary V using existing fame to sell any product, and it will sell, because people buy it for the "Kylie/Maxx Chewning/Gary V" brand; they want to be associated with them through the products.

$500,000 / $19.90 per pack = ~25,000 people bought his candy, not difficult considering his existing fame.

If he is an unknown lawn mower who decides to do the same thing, it would have taken him far longer (assuming it even took off) to make $500,000 in 30 mins (and again, this could be just a marketing gimmick to further boost social proof and create FOMO).

Also, looking at his other company (the apparel one), it's just generic clothes, and it still sells, because his fans love him and buy it to support him, while getting clothes at the same time.

What I like about the video is how, despite hitting road blocks, he spent 1.5 years just for sourcing alone lol

Btw, one (disgusting) trend I noticed nowadays is 'wokewashing' / 'greenwashing' and it seems to work well as a business model (until the world wakes up and tires of it).
Basically, find a cause (save the world, save the cows, save the sand, save the rocks, save greta thunberg etc...), then sell products related to the cause. You tell your customers you'll donate 20% of the profits to that related charity, and those folks will buy it lol.
 
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JAJT

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This is a great video example of someone launching a new product and crushing it.

What a great video.

I LOVED his enthusiasm in finding the RIGHT product. He had every opportunity and excuse to stop early or run with mediocre products, but didn't.

Many people who have never started a product based company may not realize this, but sourcing can be a total pain and mental drain.

When you spend entire days/weeks/months banging your head against a wall to find ANY company that both has you what you want AND will work with you AND at a price you can live with AND in a quantity you can afford, it gets super frustrating and discouraging. You feel very shut out and discouraged. You feel like maybe there's a damn good reason why nobody is doing what you want to do already - that gap in the market you got all excited about in the beginning now turns against you and you feel like the market gap is the thing now actively working against you.

When you DO finally find a company that checks those boxes (assuming you kept going this far), you feel this immense hope, like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. The finish line is just up ahead!

Then you get the product, and... it's "good enough".

Maybe it's exactly like what everyone else has. Maybe it's lacking that special "something" you hoped for. Maybe they can do 70% of what you had hoped but not the last 30% that originally got you excited about the business in the first place.

This is where a lot of people stumble. They start thinking things like:

- Well, maybe I can make it up with marketing and branding
- Well, maybe I can sell this to start while I look to improve as I go
- Maybe nobody really cares about the special aspects that I cared about
- Maybe my differentiator will be that I cut out the middleman and am an online brand

The fact is, when you are starving of thirst in the hot desert and really want a glass of ice water, it's hard to turn away a cup of hot coffee at the starbucks you thought was an oasis. It's not what you wanted, at all, but it's "good enough" and hell - at least it has water IN IT, right?

This is where mediocre white label "me too" products come from.

It takes a lot of time, energy, and willpower to turn away the cup of coffee and keep pressing on until you find your glass of ice water.
 

JAJT

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Speaking of product ideas and adding value - check out this video of a design expert offering design improvement ideas to kitchen devices:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w08XDXjJhsQ


This is what improving a product in your niche MAY look like.

He uses the products normally, then simulates and consider common frustrations, and then talks about how he might go about improving the products.
 

biophase

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I don't think that guy is a good example. He already has a base of 398,000 Youtube subscribers (and God knows how much more on Twitter/FB/Instagram). This is basically a case of Kylie Jenner or Gary V using existing fame to sell any product, and it will sell, because people buy it for the "Kylie/Maxx Chewning/Gary V" brand; they want to be associated with them through the products.

$500,000 / $19.90 per pack = ~25,000 people bought his candy, not difficult considering his existing fame.

If he is an unknown lawn mower who decides to do the same thing, it would have taken him far longer (assuming it even took off) to make $500,000 in 30 mins (and again, this could be just a marketing gimmick to further boost social proof and create FOMO).

Also, looking at his other company (the apparel one), it's just generic clothes, and it still sells, because his fans love him and buy it to support him, while getting clothes at the same time.

What I like about the video is how, despite hitting road blocks, he spent 1.5 years just for sourcing alone lol

Btw, one (disgusting) trend I noticed nowadays is 'wokewashing' / 'greenwashing' and it seems to work well as a business model (until the world wakes up and tires of it).
Basically, find a cause (save the world, save the cows, save the sand, save the rocks, save greta thunberg etc...), then sell products related to the cause. You tell your customers you'll donate 20% of the profits to that related charity, and those folks will buy it lol.

He could have sold anything using his platform, but he still took 1.5 years to find the right product. That's the difference. That is why it is a good example.

And yes he has 400k youtube subscribers. That took work to do. So I don't know how you discount that. Just because you don't have the audience and he does, should mean something. Maybe for all the people looking to get into ecommerce, they should be building an audience today instead of trying to figure out what product to sell. That's why many questions asking for advice say, "If you were to start over today, what would you do?" That's because the person asking the question knows that you have assets already (knowledge, reach, SEO, brand recognition, fame, etc...) and they don't.

I also don't like the "donate 10% of profits" model because I think it is flawed and can be gamed. That's why in the bee thread I'm trying to figure out a more impactful way to do it. I want a way that can be measured and not manipulated.
 
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biophase

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What a great video.

I LOVED his enthusiasm in finding the RIGHT product. He had every opportunity and excuse to stop early or run with mediocre products, but didn't.

Many people who have never started a product based company may not realize this, but sourcing can be a total pain and mental drain.

When you spend entire days/weeks/months banging your head against a wall to find ANY company that both has you what you want AND will work with you AND at a price you can live with AND in a quantity you can afford, it gets super frustrating and discouraging. You feel very shut out and discouraged. You feel like maybe there's a damn good reason why nobody is doing what you want to do already - that gap in the market you got all excited about in the beginning now turns against you and you feel like the market gap is the thing now actively working against you.

When you DO finally find a company that checks those boxes (assuming you kept going this far), you feel this immense hope, like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. The finish line is just up ahead!

Then you get the product, and... it's "good enough".

Maybe it's exactly like what everyone else has. Maybe it's lacking that special "something" you hoped for. Maybe they can do 70% of what you had hoped but not the last 30% that originally got you excited about the business in the first place.

This is where a lot of people stumble. They start thinking things like:

- Well, maybe I can make it up with marketing and branding
- Well, maybe I can sell this to start while I look to improve as I go
- Maybe nobody really cares about the special aspects that I cared about
- Maybe my differentiator will be that I cut out the middleman and am an online brand

The fact is, when you are starving of thirst in the hot desert and really want a glass of ice water, it's hard to turn away a cup of hot coffee at the starbucks you thought was an oasis. It's not what you wanted, at all, but it's "good enough" and hell - at least it has water IN IT, right?

This is where mediocre white label "me too" products come from.

It takes a lot of time, energy, and willpower to turn away the cup of coffee and keep pressing on until you find your glass of ice water.

This is why I feel like many people still don't get it.

The bee example has been in my brain since early this year, so that's 5-6 months of brainstorming. The bear spray pack has been in my brain for 2 years. I've modified my packs and tested a few things. But honestly, it's like the 5th most important idea I have right now so I work on it when I'm bored with my current business.

I have a few others bouncing in my head that I can't 100% grasp. These ideas all marinate and come up to the surface one day. And when they do, they usually crush it because of the brain power used to get to launch day, not because of the marketing put in after launch day. So in 2025 when my bear spray backpack brand crushes it, you all won't think it was because of I just copied some other backpack and made a slight change and launched it in 3 months. :smile2:
 

PureA

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Bio, what are your thoughts around building a company after the first product is flying?

To use your example, you have the bear spray backpack, it's selling well.

What next? You want to expand your brand...

Do you look to differentiate every additional product you launch to the same degree?

Or, do you 'piggyback' off the established brand? Releasing products your existing customers would be interested in that are 5% better than the competition, rather than the quantum leap 25-100% that your first product had?

p.s. great post @JAJT
 

biophase

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Bio, what are your thoughts around building a company after the first product is flying?

To use your example, you have the bear spray backpack, it's selling well.

What next? You want to expand your brand...

Do you look to differentiate every additional product you launch to the same degree?

Or, do you 'piggyback' off the established brand? Releasing products your existing customers would be interested in that are 5% better than the competition, rather than the quantum leap 25-100% that your first product had?

p.s. great post @JAJT

I think the bear spray backpack would establish my company. Then you can make other products that help you carry bear spray, or other outdoor products that the same demographic would use. I don't think the second product has to be that innovative (it would be great if it was). Eventually you could make a regular backpack, but your brand was established using a breakthrough product.

For example Under Armor now makes all types of clothing, shoes, hats, etc... but they made their mark on the dryfit shirt when they started.
 
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D

DeletedUser0287

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I don't think that guy is a good example. He already has a base of 398,000 Youtube subscribers (and God knows how much more on Twitter/FB/Instagram). This is basically a case of Kylie Jenner or Gary V using existing fame to sell any product, and it will sell, because people buy it for the "Kylie/Maxx Chewning/Gary V" brand; they want to be associated with them through the products.

$500,000 / $19.90 per pack = ~25,000 people bought his candy, not difficult considering his existing fame.

If he is an unknown lawn mower who decides to do the same thing, it would have taken him far longer (assuming it even took off) to make $500,000 in 30 mins (and again, this could be just a marketing gimmick to further boost social proof and create FOMO).

Also, looking at his other company (the apparel one), it's just generic clothes, and it still sells, because his fans love him and buy it to support him, while getting clothes at the same time.

What I like about the video is how, despite hitting road blocks, he spent 1.5 years just for sourcing alone lol

Btw, one (disgusting) trend I noticed nowadays is 'wokewashing' / 'greenwashing' and it seems to work well as a business model (until the world wakes up and tires of it).
Basically, find a cause (save the world, save the cows, save the sand, save the rocks, save greta thunberg etc...), then sell products related to the cause. You tell your customers you'll donate 20% of the profits to that related charity, and those folks will buy it lol.

Yeah it is bad example. Some one reading this thread is going to try to do the same thing not realizing that the only reason it sold was his marketing base.

The guy trying to do the same thing will be stuck with thousands of candy at home CRYING.

Edit: also easy for him to get into distributors now too. He can say I sold X amount candies in X minutes. Regular guy doing this will have zero metrics to back him up. Distributors don’t want to risk money in new product, unless proven sales.
 

StrikingViper69

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People with the idea of spraying the bear spray forwards from the bike.....

Have you ever tried spitting out of a car window, while it's moving? There's only one direction you wanna, spit, and it ain't forwards.
 

Xeon

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Edit: also easy for him to get into distributors now too. He can say I sold X amount candies in X minutes. Regular guy doing this will have zero metrics to back him up. Distributors don’t want to risk money in new product, unless proven sales.

Yup, because he's considered a celeb of sorts, he can easily tell retailers / distributors (especially the smaller ones) to stock his products by showing them all his social media accounts. Tbh, what "Need" does his sour stripes candies fulfil, other than letting his customers feel like they're part of the Maxx Chewning "nation" / crew, which in turn makes them feel a step up from the rest of the population? Well, I guess getting an identity from eating candies fulfils a sort of need (similar to Supreme and other brands that are 99.9% based on pure branding).
 
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maverick

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Limiting mindset:
He's only successful because he has XXXX or because he uses XXXX.

Growth mindset:
I need to understand how to access an audience before launching a product.
 

tmb22

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@biophase what do you think about first starting a brand that just has a website/blog with social media accounts about a certain topic and building up traffic to the website via the blog to like 50,000 page views a month and then start selling products, even if they are kinda "me too" products?
 

NMdad

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Speaking of product ideas and adding value - check out this video of a design expert offering design improvement ideas to kitchen devices:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w08XDXjJhsQ


This is what improving a product in your niche MAY look like.

He uses the products normally, then simulates and consider common frustrations, and then talks about how he might go about improving the products.
That's a really interesting video--fascinating to see his process:
  • the oiled left-hand test (not what you might think...),
  • the way he thinks about what & how to improve the products,
  • how he tests items & what he looks for,
  • his criteria for evaluating items.
 
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NMdad

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This is why I feel like many people still don't get it.

The bee example has been in my brain since early this year, so that's 5-6 months of brainstorming. The bear spray pack has been in my brain for 2 years. I've modified my packs and tested a few things. But honestly, it's like the 5th most important idea I have right now so I work on it when I'm bored with my current business.

I have a few others bouncing in my head that I can't 100% grasp. These ideas all marinate and come up to the surface one day. And when they do, they usually crush it because of the brain power used to get to launch day, not because of the marketing put in after launch day. So in 2025 when my bear spray backpack brand crushes it, you all won't think it was because of I just copied some other backpack and made a slight change and launched it in 3 months. :smile2:
Agree. That marinating & ruminating about a problem, even though it seems non-action-y, is useful, since you eventually come up with solutions that you wouldn't have if you tried brute-forcing the ideation. (Although some techniques for ideation can be useful).

The other thing I find that's useful for the marinating phase is exposing myself to info & ideas from all kinds of random domains--from concrete to microbiology to sewage treatment to origami, whatever. There are ideas, concepts, practices, mental models, etc. from other domains that might be applied to whatever problem you're working on. For example, ideas from origami are being applied to satellites & space probes. But first, you need to acquire that storehouse of ideas, concepts, etc. before you can apply them.
 
D

DeletedUser0287

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Yup, because he's considered a celeb of sorts, he can easily tell retailers / distributors (especially the smaller ones) to stock his products by showing them all his social media accounts. Tbh, what "Need" does his sour stripes candies fulfil, other than letting his customers feel like they're part of the Maxx Chewning "nation" / crew, which in turn makes them feel a step up from the rest of the population? Well, I guess getting an identity from eating candies fulfils a sort of need (similar to Supreme and other brands that are 99.9% based on pure branding).

Yeah you nailed it on the head. The value is being a part of something.

People who found their purpose (I am assuming you did), find absolutely no value in this stuff. Neither do I.

People who don’t have a purpose/identity/status love this stuff. People need meaning. If you found meaning on your own, it looks as if these influencers provide near zero value.

That’s why most of these big time influencers have audience of children. Children have a higher probability of not having a purpose.
 
D

DeletedUser0287

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Limiting mindset:
He's only successful because he has XXXX or because he uses XXXX.
Correction:

Looking at the core reason why he had success, Accepting reality so I can duplicate:
He's only successful because he has XXXX or because he uses XXXX

Growth mindset:
I need to understand how to access an audience before launching a product.

Correction:

Growth mindset:
I need to understand how to build/own an audience before launching a product.
 
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JAJT

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You guys poo-poo'ing on this guy because he's an influencer with a huge audience blow my mind.

Does having a huge audience help? Tremendously, yes.

Does that devalue the process he used, the product he made, the branding he created, or his chances of success with the product? Not at all.

It's like you guys haven't heard of sales before. Do you want to know what it takes to sell that candy? Picking up the phone, calling retailers and wholesalers and distributors and such, and sending them a few samples and/or just closing the deal on the spot. It works for almost every product under the sun.

Do you HONESTLY think that Joe Buyer in charge of millions, tens of millions, or hundreds of millions of dollars worth of inventory per year is going to even CARE that the guy on the other end of the phone is "internet famous"? Almost certainly not. He's not going to get special treatment - he's going to be treated like every other customer in the company's existing vetting process. They may like to hear that he was able to sell a lot in a short period of time but as soon as that candy hits the store shelves none of that matters - it only matters if it moves. And it will only move if the branding is on point and the product lives up to customer expectations. If it moves, it stays in the lineup. If it doesn't, it's gone.

Someone on this very forum (cough @Scot cough) got their SUPER niche food product into a national chain as one of his first customers by picking up the phone and working out a deal. You think an incredible candy company couldn't do the same thing? Come on now.

Any edge you have obviously helps, but it isn't a requirement. Yeah, being rich, a celebrity, or having a billion fans is going to accelerate success. No kidding. But it isn't a requirement for success.
 

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