Before You Do Anything: Try It Out
So you know, roughly, what you want your business to be. Before you go any further and start investing, though, you need to try it out. Here’s how. Build a Prototype. If you plan to sell physical things, or you’re going to do something like starting a website or making software, then you should build a prototype to see how your idea will work out. A prototype is a version of your product that serves to show that your idea is feasible in the real world. If it would be too expensive to build the whole thing, then just building the new part that differentiates you from your competitors is good enough. Show your prototype to a few people, to see what they think. Are they excited? Would they use it? Get a Few Customers. If your product is relatively low-value, or you’re providing a service, then it shouldn’t be too much trouble to get a few customers and do a few dry runs. Do them a generous discount (you could even do it for free), to make sure that everything runs smoothly and the custome...