Wantrepreneur Extraordinaire

[hungryhippocampi]

Quick history: A man that has developed some amazing business ideas, fleshed them out, then either didn't execute at all or half-arsed it. Some examples:

1. Dreamed up satellite radio in 1993 when I was doing some backwoods driving across the South.
2. Started an internet bookstore in 1996 but quit before launch to go get an MBA.
3. During my MBA business plan class (1997), created a business plan for an internet pharmacy. There was only one mom-and-pop pharmacy online at the time that would ship across state lines.
4. Started a business in 1999, while working full-time, that was similar to Etsy but pivoted because our biggest earner was an indie band, this evolved into an Indie Band site with approx. 20k bands. Sold CDs and merch and got into CD pressing as well. Biggest competitor was CD Baby (derek sivers), we were the second biggest player. Made decent money for a while but treated it like a hobby and when the one band that provided 80% of our revenue disbanded we closed up shop.

I did start a financial services business that did really well, ran into some hard times and sold off what I could.

I earn really good money as a management consultant but know the slowlane is not the lane for me. It never has been.

Right now I am working through a few business ideas my wife and I have -- we are going to run some ads and see if we can find market fit before building anything substantial. The problems we are focusing on have great scale but will need some further analysis to validate their fastlane capabilities.

I look forward to adding value where I can here and learning from you all!

HH

 

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[hungryhippocampi]

Process, do not forsake process. I so just want to jump in, read only the threads that will serve my interests and launch my next business because it's brilliant -- right?! But, I want to follow a repeatable process that stacks the odds of success in my favor. Yes, I want to be "lucky".

For me, that means stepping back...and slowing down. I read TMF , joined the forum here and have contributed a little, decided I needed to read Unscripted so I ordered it and have about 100 pages left, then once done there I will join the INSIDERS's Forum. I am journaling as I go along regarding my thought processes, discoveries, and actions.

Regarding my business, I stopped my previous activities, refocused on CENTS, and have taken baby steps -- first step, passive validation. I've searched out a few forums where people complain about the area I hope to serve. So far, my thoughts on how to add significant value align with what I've read -- (Entry and Need appear valid). Next step, active validation -- I will either run a survey or use a landing page with a small ad campaign to gauge my market's response to my value proposition. I am also seeking:
1. To ferret out the language my target market uses regarding my offering,
2. Identify the categories/buckets of customers and what are their key drivers,
3. Start building my pre-launch customer base.

Cheers!

 

[RobD88]

Sounds like you have a lot of good experience and ideas. Keep pushing. Best of luck to you.