How To Make An Idea Into Reality
Many people dream of being an entrepreneur. Ideas can come at any time – in the shower, during a run, on the 19th conference call of the day, at dinner, or in your sleep. And yet – many ideas stay as ideas. These ideas could potentially be great solutions, but the hardest part is pursuing them further as a business. Before my co-founders and I created Care + Wear, I often dreamt about potential solutions to various problems I encountered in my daily life.
Tips To Make Your Idea A Reality
Since I’ve been in this boat many times, here’s my advice as you consider pursuing making your idea into a reality.
Find something that you are passionate about
Turning a concept into a reality takes a lot of time and work, so it must be fueled by passion. It’s also much easier to dedicate 20 plus hours a day to something that you are devoted to. Each member of the Care + Wear team has a personal experience with long-term medical treatments and a desire to improve the lives of loved ones. It’s this passion that completes the long days and nights and maintains our unbridled enthusiasm to make a positive impact on patients.
Do your research and talk to everybody
Customers are complex. Do your research to fully understand what they need, even if they don’t know they need it yet. It may be the former consultant in me, but I am always analyzing companies and products on the market to understand what they do well and where they can improve.
You can learn something relevant from everyone and you never know where a conversation may lead you. Don’t hesitate to send another email, make another call, or go to another event. Use your research to target people who may be able to help. Being an incredibly shy person, it is hard to have the courage to reach out but I have been overwhelmed at all the support and willingness to help that people have demonstrated after just one conversation. You can’t be afraid to ask. What do you have to lose when you believe in your product?
Find the right team with relevant experience
Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely and grueling process. Find a team that complements your skillset. Always be on the lookout for those who may be willing to help. In business school, I made the mistake of creating a mobile app without having a team member with mobile development skills (a skill I lack as well). Needless to say, the company did not succeed. With Care + Wear, I’ve teamed with two amazing co-founders who have been involved in design, manufacturing, production, distribution, and sales for leading fashion companies. We’ve been fortunate to have some amazing friends help us build our marketing, social media, and PR strategies. And we’ve surrounded ourselves with unbelievable advisors who continue to give us advice on a daily basis and have been instrumental in the development of our product.
Be nimble
It’s important to have a long-term vision in mind but be flexible in how you are going to get there. The successful entrepreneurs are those that are able to make changes on the fly and continue to build on feedback from the marketplace.
Enjoy the moment
It’s easy to get frustrated at what appears to be a lack of progress. Remember to take the time to stop and appreciate everything you and your team have accomplished to-date. This gives you an additional push to work harder and continue to grow your idea into reality. Enjoy the moment and use your progress to fuel your success.
Believe
There are going to be hard days where you may have a setback and something doesn’t go as planned. Or you might not be reaching certain milestones as planned. Be your own cheerleader and continue to believe in your idea. Use honest feedback from friends and family to motivate you. Your passion and of course, hard work, will eventually help lead your company to success.