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Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue and thanks for joining me for Tips and Talk
Speaker:Day. These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions
Speaker:and things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small
Speaker:business. If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DM e over on Instagram at Gift Biz Unwrapped.
Speaker:Before I get into the show today,
Speaker:I have a message for you.
Speaker:If you're just now starting to think of starting a handmade
Speaker:product business,
Speaker:at this point,
Speaker:you may be thinking about your business name and logo.
Speaker:That's what would be natural and what most people would do,
Speaker:but hold on a second.
Speaker:It's not the best initial step.
Speaker:There are other important things to do first to make sure
Speaker:you're set up for success and ensure your product easily attracts
Speaker:buyers. Sometimes it's just a little tweak.
Speaker:That's the difference between a thriving and failing business.
Speaker:Before you spend a lot of time and money,
Speaker:make sure to validate your product and ensure it's positioned and
Speaker:priced so you'll see results right from the beginning.
Speaker:That way you can start your business with confidence.
Speaker:I can help you with that.
Speaker:Go to gift to biz unwrap.com/start
Speaker:for all the details.
Speaker:I wish I would've thought of that,
Speaker:or maybe you did years ago,
Speaker:but never did anything about it.
Speaker:Perhaps it was a fleeting thought,
Speaker:a moment in time that came and went in an instant,
Speaker:but now you see that someone else has actually turned your
Speaker:idea into a product and it's catching the world by storm.
Speaker:Years ago,
Speaker:my husband told me about his great idea.
Speaker:Instead of having to check your tires for air pressure,
Speaker:there should be an automatic gauge in the car that alerts
Speaker:you to when your tires are low and need filling up.
Speaker:This eliminates the need for that thermometer looking gadget and having
Speaker:to get out in the freezing cold or rain to see
Speaker:if your tires are due for a fill up along with
Speaker:your gas tank.
Speaker:Well, this alert system does exist today,
Speaker:and every time Michael sees it,
Speaker:I hear the story about the fact that it was his
Speaker:idea. I lovingly listen to him again and I say,
Speaker:yes, I know the old saying is true.
Speaker:Ideas come a dime a dozen,
Speaker:but they don't mean anything unless you take action on that
Speaker:thought. It's the person who stops in their tracks,
Speaker:makes a decision to claim the new idea as their own
Speaker:and follows through with its development.
Speaker:That's who's the winner.
Speaker:This entire podcast has been dedicated to showing you how to
Speaker:take your handmade creations and monetize by starting a company around
Speaker:your products.
Speaker:For this episode,
Speaker:I wanna spice up your mind with ways to find these
Speaker:ideas. You probably come up with ideas all the time without
Speaker:even knowing it.
Speaker:The tendency is to ignore it and let it pass you
Speaker:by, partially based on not giving it the value it deserves.
Speaker:Towards that end,
Speaker:I'm going to share with you some ways,
Speaker:categories, if you will,
Speaker:that are the foundation for creating ideas that can turn into
Speaker:profitable gold mines.
Speaker:As we get into this,
Speaker:most of the examples I'll give are larger companies because that
Speaker:way I can be assured everyone listening regardless of where you
Speaker:are in the country or your lifestyle will know about them.
Speaker:A few smaller businesses are also tucked in because an idea
Speaker:doesn't need powerful financial backing to succeed.
Speaker:As I said before,
Speaker:it's the action that counts.
Speaker:Look at these examples as theoretical models.
Speaker:If an idea comes to your mind,
Speaker:run it past these models.
Speaker:As you further consider its viability,
Speaker:this is a way to analyze and give further thought to
Speaker:the possibility of your idea before you let it slip away.
Speaker:New and unique products and services are coming to market every
Speaker:day, and yours might just be that next big idea.
Speaker:The five models are a lifestyle,
Speaker:vision, new but known,
Speaker:and different cultural care abouts,
Speaker:problem solver and experience enhancer.
Speaker:I'm going to go through each one to explain the overall
Speaker:premise and then give some real life idea examples that exist
Speaker:today. Let's start with a lifestyle vision.
Speaker:This requires a lot of imagination and faith.
Speaker:It's dreaming up something entirely new that doesn't exist at all.
Speaker:Today, it almost seems impossible in more like a Jetson cartoon
Speaker:than potential reality.
Speaker:Fulfillment of this idea would have the ability to impact someone's
Speaker:overall lifestyle.
Speaker:This was clearly the case when Ray Crock dreamt up the
Speaker:idea of McDonald's way back in 1955.
Speaker:There's a lot to the McDonald's story,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:from Ray meeting the McDonald brothers to acquiring the name,
Speaker:but his real new idea impact was creating a streamlined,
Speaker:quality, controlled and consistent food franchise that could be experienced across
Speaker:the country and later worldwide.
Speaker:With that idea came a number of firsts in product creation
Speaker:like Chicken McNuggets,
Speaker:and we all have to admit that first drive-through definitely had
Speaker:an impact on our lifestyle.
Speaker:Another more recent example is Steve Jobs and the Apple products,
Speaker:but most specifically,
Speaker:I'll focus on the iPhone.
Speaker:His vision of a touchscreen and scrolling functionality has also changed
Speaker:our lives.
Speaker:Both McDonald's and Apple have been copied by competitors,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:who offer different versions of a similar concept,
Speaker:but these two are still top of their industry and known
Speaker:as the originators of products that have had a significant impact
Speaker:in the world.
Speaker:Okay, now this lifestyle vision model may seem out of reach,
Speaker:so let's bring it down to models that are more realistic
Speaker:for us.
Speaker:The second one is new but known and different.
Speaker:It's a great model because people can relate to the concept.
Speaker:It's not brand new or requires a lot of explanation.
Speaker:The idea is a spinoff of what already exists but is
Speaker:better or different in some way.
Speaker:Brownie brittle,
Speaker:before Sheila came up with this idea,
Speaker:brownies only existed as plump fluffy squares of deliciousness by combining
Speaker:the brownie flavor with a crisp cracker or peanut brittle texture.
Speaker:An entirely new product was born.
Speaker:Rich and Cherry did something similar with the idea of enhancing
Speaker:crocs with decorative charms that allows personalization that kids love.
Speaker:When we were first introduced to Jibbitz,
Speaker:we immediately understood the value and how to use them.
Speaker:Crocs ended up buying this idea for $20 million and to
Speaker:imagine it all started from an arts and craft project in
Speaker:the basement.
Speaker:There's also a smaller company you may not have heard yet.
Speaker:Bora Bora makes a lotion candle.
Speaker:You light the candle and when it melts,
Speaker:it turns into a warm moisturizing oil that you scoop out
Speaker:with a bamboo spoon to smooth onto your skin.
Speaker:Sounds luxurious,
Speaker:doesn't it?
Speaker:And we all understand candles and we all understand lotion.
Speaker:Now there's the lotion candle.
Speaker:Our third idea model is cultural care abouts.
Speaker:All the rage right now with the focus towards health are
Speaker:air fryers first introduced in 2010.
Speaker:They now come in all sizes made by many brands along
Speaker:with cookbooks and accessories.
Speaker:Just one simple idea of reducing fat consumption while still producing
Speaker:a crunchy,
Speaker:tasty result.
Speaker:Fast and easy cleanup,
Speaker:too bonus as an overall population,
Speaker:we also care about our environment more than ever today.
Speaker:Green living for our own health and that of our world
Speaker:is important today.
Speaker:Products that help with this are often the preferred choice.
Speaker:Many makers set themselves apart by making in small batches with
Speaker:natural and highly beneficial ingredients.
Speaker:Some are also including recycling programs for the containers.
Speaker:The products come in when you return them,
Speaker:you're rewarded with a discount or points or something in exchange
Speaker:for your efforts.
Speaker:Dosa, naturals and droplet are two companies that have such programs,
Speaker:and how about the trend toward minimalism?
Speaker:Downsizing isn't only for the older population anymore.
Speaker:Whoever thought living in a house with rooms the size of
Speaker:a closet would be a thing.
Speaker:Products that play into this lifestyle trend wouldn't have worked years
Speaker:ago, but they certainly do today.
Speaker:How about problem solver ideas?
Speaker:That's model number four.
Speaker:If you ever meet up with a challenge in your day
Speaker:and say,
Speaker:I wish there was a fill in the blank with the
Speaker:appropriate answer,
Speaker:I want you to stop and think.
Speaker:This may be a void in the market that people really
Speaker:need and a solution hasn't been created yet.
Speaker:Uber, GrubHub and Instacart are all examples of this,
Speaker:and my newest favorite bring Fido with the addition of biscotti
Speaker:are now nine month old,
Speaker:huge, great pier news puppy.
Speaker:Finding dog friendly hotel accommodations as we travel by car has
Speaker:become important.
Speaker:Bring Fido to the rescue.
Speaker:Also a new one.
Speaker:My daughter just told me about Sniff spot.
Speaker:If you have a dog and want alternatives to dog parks
Speaker:in your area,
Speaker:this is for you.
Speaker:I'll let you look that up yourself and the final model,
Speaker:experience enhancement.
Speaker:I probably don't have to tell you that this is very
Speaker:popular with the younger generations.
Speaker:Therefore, products or services that come with some type of experience
Speaker:overlay can make a well-known thing become extraordinary.
Speaker:Cold Stone creamery when the ice cream servers sing for their
Speaker:tips. Carvana,
Speaker:who turned a stressful car buying purchase into a game by
Speaker:picking your car up.
Speaker:Vending machine style and how about the mystery party games and
Speaker:trips that lead you into unknown puzzle adventures of all sorts.
Speaker:This past Christmas,
Speaker:my daughter gave several family members the experiential gift of going
Speaker:and hanging out with wild wolves.
Speaker:Yeah, wild wolves.
Speaker:It was so funny.
Speaker:The gift that they unwrapped were stuffed animals as a clue.
Speaker:Then they got the explanation of what they stood for,
Speaker:and we'll be experiencing the wolves up close and personal a
Speaker:few weeks from now.
Speaker:There are so,
Speaker:so many more examples I could give you.
Speaker:The point is they all started with an idea that was
Speaker:first identified and then acted upon.
Speaker:These ideas are limitless and waiting out there right now for
Speaker:your taking.
Speaker:Yes, you may have the next big idea and now you
Speaker:know how to recognize it and hopefully do what comes next.
Speaker:Take the action,
Speaker:bring it to life,
Speaker:and make it a reality.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl,
Speaker:and this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn.
Speaker:Go out and fulfill that dream of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
Speaker:We want them and they bring us both.
