Does my idea need to be perfect or do I just need to start?
I've tried a bootstrap business before, the idea was clear, the value prop simpe, the audience defined. Bigger competition, little room for differentiation and just 100 other mistakes and it failed.
I don't want to make the same mistakes again, I want to do it differently this time.
But every idea I have there's something already out there, OR I'm just going round in circles with other ideas trying to figure out the right positioning, who the customer is etc etc, I'm just hitting wall after wall in my head.
Part of me just wants to start, not the product, but testing out the landing page etc etc.... Another part thinks, no, I need to learn more, think of better ideas etc etc.
Do I need to nail the idea part first, or just go with what I have and try and validate it in the wild?
For me there is no such thing as nailing an idea. You need to put it out there as soon as possible. Users/customers will define where the idea goes.
Great point!
Ideas are cheap without execution. I will go for the former - Just go with what I have and try and validate it asap. @thatandyrose
You'll learn a lot throughout the journey, keep iterating, improving and build a great product along with feedback from the community.
I'm super happy to work on a passion project that I like. No rocket science, no deep tech, and no AI. Just something that helps people solve specific problems. I learned a lot about things like growth, user acquisition etc that able to apply to my day-to-day work.
No action is the worst action. Try not to be a perfectionist. Also, admit that there's no unique idea, only the way you execute and how fast you can accomplish your goal.
So much great stuff in this comment. I love the long about it but bring rocket science. I think it's easy to get caught up in all that. And yet some of the best services I see are not about complex tech, but rather just solving a specific problem simply. Sometimes it's just a form!
No action is the worst action. Great point.
You already know what to do. Starting with a landing page is a very good way to learn more and validate your ideas. Start with one of those landing pages that asks for an email address and talk to your potential customers.
Thank you!
From a UX perspective, you're doing a best-guess on what the user wants. You need to get actual user feedback to refine your platform. My advice is to create a proof of concept prototype and test it with real users. You'll be able to iterate and refine based on that information.
I can't speak about a business product too much (because I'm still working on my own). But if we just think abstractly at the moment, about the process of doing "things"(like learning skills) In the ideal world, we would completely figure out all the details we need to do something before doing it. This would guarantee success! But the reality is that we may not ever know 100% of everything that we need to. So that begs the question, "How much should you figure out before you start doing something?"
Start with too little, and it might be too much of a dice roll. Try to learn too much, and you'll spend an eternity before ever actually doing anything. I can't give you an exact answer to this, but I suppose you should consider how much potential risk there is to an action, and how much it will cost you (either in time, $$, or both) for figuring out this balance.
For me, I always prefer learning by experience and experimentation when possible, as long as it doesn't cost me too much or when the risks aren't as high. When there are higher risks/costs, I try to do more learning before taking action. Never to 100%, but say... 70% or so. It's really hard to quantify how much you "know" about a subject that you're not an expert in, but... my point is not to wait forever. At some point, you need to pull the trigger and DO IT.
Great point
Get out of your head and into other people's
https://www.indiehackers.com/post/too-soon-for-feedback-ac6f8a022b?commentId=-LyXo5oXC0frzP_TG_wk
What you'd get in this process is bigger than what you can think up in your lifetime
It's analysis paralysis thinking up a 5 layer decision tree when you can run an hour/day step and get 6 layers deep..
You know how systems are always perfect until they meet the 1st user
Hi Andy, I feel like this is a post I could have written myself! I’ve struggled with the same issues.
I believe enough in validation to be investing in doing just that for a business I’m trying to build right now. But there is definitely a limit to how “sure” I’m trying to be before diving in.
Shoot me an email if you’d like to discuss more. I’m pretty good at asking the right questions, and I’d be happy to chat with you about it.