If there’s one thing that we need more of, it’s ingenuity, and the willingness to look forward with innovation. Women of colour have been providing that to the business world in all shapes and sizes for so long, it’s no wonder that many of our projects change the business landscape when they succeed.
It may be that you too believe yourself in possession of those innovative ideals that can help pivot an industry in a new direction, or solve a problem that has gone unanswered for some years. If so, that’s fantastic, but it’s hardly the only step on the journey.
Giving your unique business idea every chance of success, then, requires a diligent approach, and the willingness to cultivate and systemize your potential more readily, in order to uncover that possibility.
In this guide, we’ll discuss a few measures by which you can give your unique business idea the strongest possible grounding, what that approach even means in the grand scheme of things, and of course, how to avoid the common pitfalls that well-meaning but ill=supported ideals can suffer from. With that in mind, let’s consider:
The full scope of your idea
It’s important to think through a given idea and all of its permutations. Perhaps you’ve designed an app that can help make the shopping experience more secure and convenient. To what extent can this be used? Will it apply to your own store, or could it be compatible with other online storefronts, never needing their tacit approval to operate?
Additionally, how often might such an app be used? Should monetization come from advertisements, a small fee for every use, or a subscription model which may be totally optional? Understanding the full scope of your idea means working through the design pages with clarity and care, adding and pruning where appropriate, never being afraid to speak to consultants. But before you do that, make sure you:
Patent your idea
A truly unique idea should be protected before you hire additional consultants to come and help you develop it. A patent can take a little time to process, but it can protect your concept for a number of years in a specific development manner, allowing you time to claim the idea as your own.
Of course, simply ‘the idea’ is not enough to claim here, you must also make sure you have a working prototype and design documents in order to support your application. This way, you can speak to investors, run focus groups, and hire outsourced help without fear of them stealing your idea. If they do, legal protection is on your side, and you’ll be entitled to a large degree of compensation.
Consider accessibility & messaging
How you sell an idea or concept is just as important as the idea and concept itself. Ultimately, if your idea is not applicable or relevant to your target audience, it can be hard to convince them to go with you and give you that foremost chance.
However, messaging is not a practice developed in a small vacuum. It must relate to something, be that how to onboard and use your service, to the FAQ’s your place on your website to answer the most common questions, as well as how to introduce yourself as the developer of this idea for good.
All of this can come more easily should you:
Cultivate a worthwhile website
Websites are more than just hubs for your branding, but they can also help you manage clients, practice great data security measures, provide outreach, write a blog to help discuss your ideas, products, and history, as well as allowing provisions such as bookings or account management from the client side.
A worthwhile website can also be a great place to grow in your SEO rankings, as running a blog that enjoys backlinks referring to your authoritative content helps raise you in Google’s index. The best way to run a website is to utilize web design services and competent IT support, allowing you to offset the stressful need for perfect IT maintenance while giving you the time to focus on your task at hand.
Demonstrations & Showcases
If a product or service works well, it’s good to show it operating in the light of day. Think of how new products are often shown at business conventions, be that something as simple as a window cleaning tool, or a new vacuum cleaner.
It might be that attending conventions with your idea can help you demonstrate its value to a willing audience. This process can also help you see real-life reactions to your idea in a manner that seems more honest and open than the paid-for focus groups.
These business conventions or expos can also be a great place to network with others in that industry, who may be able to levy advice or provide you with further contacts for refining and strengthening your idea. Either way, it’s good to know who the movers and shakers in your field are, as identifying competition is almost always a good idea.
Design iterations
It’s unlikely that your first idea will ever be your best. Thankfully, you don’t have to feel stuck on that iteration forever. Making slight adjustments, new designs can be sold as new updates to your product, using feedback and sales as an indicator of what your customers are looking for and the common issues raised most of all.
In other words, a unique business idea is hardly ever static, but evolving, constantly in dynamic response to the market forces surrounding it. Should you understand your niche, you can more readily appeal to it while retaining that innovative streak that convinced you to get started in the first place. Clients will often prefer to see you taking risks and trying new ideas that they would prefer to see you constantly hounding one idea and one idea only. With that in mind, you’re much more likely to enjoy a decent modicum of success, and as we all know, a little success can easily grow into a real foothold in the industry.
With this advice, you’re sure to give your business idea every chance of success. What are you waiting for?
