A Guide to Launching Ideas That Resonate | Kerry Morrison

The tl;dr: Solve problems, help people, ask for money…before you build/buy/make anything.

Have a great idea? Come up with something clever?

Just know in your heart of hearts you have a killer business idea.

Stop whatever it was you were planning on doing.
Don’t write a line of code.

Don’t buy a domain, web hosting, or open a Shopify store.

Don’t make a single hire.

Don’t do anything to build, launch or produce a product.

Do nothing until you answer two questions.

Does what I want to do/sell/make/design solve a problem?

Can I interest people in paying for it?

That’s it.

That’s how you start.

You do the legwork ( and it will be work ) into crystalizing your idea.

You craft a compelling offer for potential customers ( with a story about them, not you ).

You put all this in front of people.

And you ask for money.

If you can’t convince people to pay you for something or get them so excited about your idea, they throw money at you.

You don’t have a chance, and you never will.

Don’t worry about not having the thing you sell them on.

There’s time for that, and often you can fake it until you make it ( a much better problem ).

Everything below is the deeper version of what you just read.

If you don’t go any further, that’s ok.

But I think you should.

Because the better you are at this.

The more successful with your current idea, and the idea after that, and the idea after that, and so on, you’ll be.

Good luck to you.

I mean it.

Your New Three-Point Plan for Success

Solving Problems: The Pulse of Innovation

Solving problems isn’t just a good idea; it’s your new compass.

Without an existing problem, there’s no direction for invention, no target for the creativity arrow, and no market desire for a solution.

Your new business will sprout from a single question: “What bothers people, and how can I make it better?”

Helping People: The Heartbeat of a Business

But most businesses are created to help people, aren’t they?

Not really.

Most businesses are out there to take your money.

They don’t go the extra mile. They don’t put their customers first.

And they don’t guide and support you ( as they should ) through your journey.

This is how you stand out.

You care more.

You offer more.

You give before you take.

Moving Fast: The Momentum of Success

Now, this is where the rubber meets the road.

Moving fast isn’t about reckless speed; it’s about momentum.

Picture a train heavy with ingenuity, fueled by research, and accelerated by determination.

Moving fast means taking calculated risks, being decisive, and knowing that time is often the most valuable currency in the market.

Your new mantra, perfect, is the enemy of good.

Solving Problems: The Pulse of True Innovation

Want to build something that lasts?

Start with a problem.

That’s right, a problem.

It’s the seed from which innovation grows, the spark that ignites the flame of creativity, and the thing that builds massive markets.

You don’t start with a product.

You don’t build with the hottest, newest, flashiest tech ( I’m looking at you, AI ).

You start with a pain point, a gap, a need.

This is where true innovation and opportunity begin.

Examples:

Airbnb. They saw a problem: finding affordable accommodation in crowded cities. They didn’t just create a platform; they created a movement.

Slack: By creating a hub for team communication and collaboration, Slack addressed the chaos of scattered email threads, documents, and disjointed tools.

Square: Recognizing small businesses’ struggle in accepting credit card payments, Square introduced a simple and affordable card reader. This innovation enabled even the smallest vendors to accept plastic, leveling the playing field and eliminating the barrier of high transaction fees.

Duolingo: Language learning was once expensive and often inaccessible to the masses. Duolingo solved this problem by providing a free, engaging, and effective platform for learning a new language. Their interactive and gamified approach opened doors for millions, making language education available and enjoyable.

These companies didn’t start with a desire to make something; they began with a desire to fix something.

These are all big companies, but the same holds for every niche, industry, and opportunity.

Tips and Guidance:

How do you find these problems worth solving?

1. Listen. Talk to potential customers. What frustrates them? What do they wish existed?
2. Observe. Watch how people interact with existing products or services. Where do they struggle?
3. Ask. Don’t guess what people need; ask them. Conduct surveys, interviews, or focus groups.
4. Experiment. Try out different solutions on a small scale. See what sticks.

It’s not just about finding a problem; it’s about finding the right problem.

It’s about digging deep, peeling back the layers, and getting to the core.

It’s not about chasing trends; it’s about understanding needs.

Helping People: Being Human in the World of Business

What does it mean to be in business?

Is it merely selling goods, providing services, and making profits?

No. At its heart, business is about people serving, respecting, and caring for them.

It’s not about transactions; it’s about connections.

It’s about being human.

Once you’ve identified your problem, your job is to take it to market with honesty, integrity, and respect.

To go further than the other guy ( or gal ), to be of service, to err on the side of compassion.

To be nicer, more helpful, and more customer obsessed than you ever thought possible.

Businesses that obsess about their customers’ experience beat those that don’t one hundred times out of a hundred.

Examples:

Look at companies like Zappos, known for their extraordinary customer service. They don’t just sell shoes; they sell an experience filled with care and respect.

Consider Starbucks, where every cup of coffee is served with a smile, a name on the cup, and a moment of personal connection.

Or at Chick-fil-A, where employees go above and beyond, often responding with “My pleasure,” making every interaction that much more personal.

These companies aren’t just successful; they’re beloved.

Why?

Because they understand that helping people is about more than solving problems; it’s about treating them with dignity, honoring them with attention, and showering them with kindness.

Human Connection:

How does a business become more than a machine, more than a system, more than a logo?

1. Treat Customers Like Family. Customers aren’t numbers; they’re neighbors, friends, and family. Know their names, their stories, their lives.
2. Go Above and Beyond. Exceed expectations, surprise them with kindness, and delight them with care.
3. Show Respect. Listen to their concerns, respond to their needs, and value their opinions.
4. Create a Culture of Compassion. From the CEO to the cashier, let empathy, understanding, and kindness be the heartbeat of your business.

Moving Fast: The Momentum of Success Without Missteps

In business, moving fast isn’t about running blindly but sprinting with sight.

It’s not about building first and asking questions later; it’s about understanding the need, sensing the demand, and acting decisively.

It’s about knowing when to hold back when to push forward, when to pause, and when to proceed. It’s calculated momentum and strategic swiftness.

Building only what you have to and saying no to everything else.

Don’t let enthusiasm become your Achilles’ heel.

Strategies: How to Foster Swift Decision-Making Without Building Prematurely:

1. Validate First. Talk to people. Craft offers and gauge reactions. Understand the need before you seed.
2. Embrace Agility. Respond to feedback, adjust your course, and be willing to change.
3. Empower Decision-Making. Trust your team to engage with the market, learn, and adapt.
4. Learn from Both Success and Failure. Mistakes are stepping stones, not stumbling blocks.
5. Balance Speed with Insight. Act swiftly but never hastily. Think, then sprint.
6. Invest in Market Understanding. Know your audience, their desires, pains, and dreams.
7. Cultivate a Culture of Calculated Momentum. Teach the value of validation, the wisdom of awareness, and the art of intelligent action.

Wrapping it all up

For some of you, this is new information.

Almost all the advice out there is based on old business practices.

Blast cold emails with offers, craft clever and compelling ads, and find the sucker.

And those ways can work every once in a long while.

But they don’t resonate. They don’t inspire.

They certainly don’t build an audience excited for your every product.

So try this new way.

Be human in a world of machines.

Thoughtful in a way that makes a difference.

>> Business isn’t battle. It’s ballet. A symphony of movement, thoughtfulness, and grace.

VII. Additional Sections (Optional)

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What if I’m solving a problem that has yet to be recognized?

A: It’s about education, not just innovation. Show them the problem, make them feel it, and help them understand it.

Q; Is moving fast always good? What about quality?

A: Fast doesn’t mean furious. It means decisive, not reckless. Quality isn’t sacrificed; it’s strategized.

Q: How can I ensure I’m genuinely helping people and not just making profits?

A: Profits are products; people are purpose. Keep the heart in business, not just the head. Listen, learn, love.

Q: How do I know if I’ve done enough research before building?

A: Enough is when the unknown becomes known, doubt becomes direction, and uncertainty becomes understanding.

A: What if my philosophy differs from yours?

A: Good. Your journey is yours. These principles are guides, not gods. Adapt, adopt, advance.

Resources and Further Reading:

• Books:
• “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries
• “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel
• “The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton Christensen
• “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
• Articles:
• “The Importance of Solving Problems in Business” — Harvard Business Review
• “The Human Side of Business” — Forbes
• “Why Speed Matters in Innovation” — Fast Company
• Tools:
• Lean Canvas for Business Model Generation
• SurveyMonkey for Customer Feedback
• Google Analytics for Market Analysis

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Originally published at https://kerrymorrison.com on August 11, 2023.