Testing new ideas before fully committing to them is crucial for saving time, money, and resources in your business ventures. Pastor Bob Thibodeau emphasizes the importance of validating your vision and ensuring that your concepts align with the needs of your audience. By adopting a testing approach, you can avoid costly mistakes and refine your strategies, enhancing your ability to serve effectively. The episode provides practical insights into how to gather feedback and engage with your target market to ensure your offerings are relevant and impactful. Pastor Bob also encourages listeners to take actionable steps by identifying one part of their business idea to test, fostering a spirit of engagement and collaboration within their communities.
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Hello, everyone, everywhere.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Pastor Bob Thibodeau here.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Welcome to another session of the Faith Based Business podcast.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We're so blessed you're joining us as we're studying a series.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We started a series yesterday about the kingdompreneurs business blueprint and if you missed yesterday's episodes, the introductions that go back and catch up with it.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Because today we're moving right along.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Today I want to talk to you about the importance of testing new ideas before you go all in.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Matter of fact, let me go ahead and share the screen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We'll go ahead and get started in today's training.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Now, testing ideas before you go full on implementation can save you a lot of money.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Every successful venture begins with an idea.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:It really does.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But not every idea is destined for success, is it?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:At kingdompreneurs, as kingpreneurs, we are called to be wise stewards of the resources which God entrusts to us.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We have to test new ideas and concepts, ensure that we are investing not just our time and energy, but finances as well into something meaningful, something impactful, and that they're aligned with God's purposes.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:By testing, we can gl.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We can gain clarity.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We can avoid unnecessary risks and position ourselves to serve our audience more effectively.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Basically, I mean, testing isn't about doubting your vision.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:I'm not going down that path at all.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:It's about validating your vision.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Even the most inspired ideas can fall short if they fail to meet the needs of those that they're intended to help.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing allows us to sharpen our focus, refine our approach, and ensure that we are.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:We are truly walking in alignment with God's plan.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:So how can testing save you money from costly mistakes?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Well, when we skip testing, you risk wasting time, money, resources on concepts that just don't resonate with our audience.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing will save us from these pitfalls by revealing potential flaws in the marketing plan or flaws in the product offer and.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And give us an opportunity to correct them before they become costly mistakes.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Lord knows I've been doing this in some form or fashion now for almost.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Well, if you, if you just.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:If.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau: o programs and all that since: Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And I have learned lessons the hard way, and I don't know about you, but for me, this was a costly way to test before implementation.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Just going all in and.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And just believing God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Oh, yes, I'm on.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And then have to come back later and redo things and.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And redo them.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And reef manufacture them and get them back out there again.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:So what kind of mistakes can testing help us to avoid?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Well, testing will make sure that the products and the services you are offering are relevant to your target market.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:For example, it could have been your dream for years to open a soccer training camp for use, right?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You want to charge for the training.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You want to provide all the necessary equipment for them to buy through you.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You want to offer the leagues they join and pay for.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And, you know, you found the competition too high.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:I mean, it's.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:It's just hard to break into that in the area in which you're living.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But then you hear about this community where soccer has never been introduced, and that means you could have the initial market all to yourself.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You could literally have a monopoly on the entire thing for that entire area.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Oh, man, that just sounds too good to pass up.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:The market you decide you want to dominate could be soccer for Eskimos up in Alaska and even northern Canada.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:What do you think?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Yeah, it could be a great opportunity.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But before you sign up for the soccer franchise, do you think it'd be a good idea to at least travel to the area and see if there's even an interest in playing soccer up there before you pack up your family and move up there and purchase everything and launch?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You may find that the market's not very hot to begin with.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Excuse the pun.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Let's just say that inviting.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:How can I say this?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:The market would not be an opera, an entrepreneur's paradise.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Let's put it like that.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Now, if that's your calling, okay, hey, that's between you and God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But for business, that may be a very cold market.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Again, sorry for the pun, you know, but Bob loves puns.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But ideas that seem great in theory can sometimes just miss the mark completely.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing will help you confirm that your idea aligns with your audience's needs and their desires as well.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Feedback from real users or customers will provide folks.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:It'll provide invaluable insight that can guide any necessary adjustments, ensuring your idea remains relevant.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Now, instead of pursuing a direction that might fail, testing will allow you to identify any potential issues early on and pivot, saving time, effort, and heartache.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You know, think back to the.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:The starting the soccer monopoly up in Alaska.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:If you test that market first, you'll.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You could avoid some potential pitfalls and heartaches and issues that'll save you a lot of time and grief.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Don't you Agree.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You could find out from someone who did this before, let's say up in northern Canada, get in touch with them, maybe take a business trip, take them to lunch or dinner or something.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Pick their, pick their brain, so to speak, and ask them the problems and if they succeeded and how did they do so, and how did the market react?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Because this could help you from making some mistakes as you start your little adventure up in the cold climate.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You may not be venturing forth into that type of business, I just use that as an example.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But you can still find out answers to some other common mistakes, you know, such as overestimating the demand for your market.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You know, testing will reveal whether you know your, your idea truly resonates with your target market, or if adjustments need to be made and meeting their expectations.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Or perhaps, you know, you're actually underestimating your competition.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You know, testing will give you insight into the market saturation and this will help you refine your unique value proposition as well to stand out and, and highlight the differences between you and your competitors.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Now, one thing that you never want to do is ignore your market, ignoring your audience, your target market.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Do not ignore their input.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Neglecting that, neglecting to involve your audience or target market early on.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:That will almost always lead to misguided business decisions.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing will invite their input.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing will build trust because you're fostering that engagement and save you money in the long run.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:But that leaves us, well, how to test?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Well, you need to create a framework for testing to make sure that, that you are going to receive accurate information in order for you to make the important decisions that need to be made.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:To do this, your initial testing, you need to start small.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Just begin by testing on a smaller scale through surveys, focus groups, or, or, you know, just minimal viable product offers, you know, something small, a checklist and things like that.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:These methods offer low risk ways for you to gather critical data that you can then use to make your bigger decisions.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And make sure you have some sort of metrics in place.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Metrics will, will help you to define your clear, measurable success standards for your testing process, not the product, but for the testing process.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:You need to know that the metrics you're using is an accurate reflection on what you want to see and what you want to evaluate, such as engagement rates on your testing, feedback, quality, early sales figures, all of that.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And then there is evaluations and then refinement to evaluate and refine all your intended process and your testing procedures.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay, remember, this is how you save Yourself money.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:This is how you can help yourself and launching a great product.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Because testing isn't a one off thing.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing is an ongoing process.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:So use the results to refine your data, refine your idea continuously throughout the production, throughout the implementation, all along the product line.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Even after you launch, you still need to be testing in the market for new ideas and upgrades and all that because that'll ensure that you're always meeting the needs of your audience.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:And basically that's the bottom line, isn't it?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:So testing isn't just a precaution.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Testing is an act of stewardship, a pathway to clarity.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:It helps us to confirm the relevance of our ideas, avoid the common mistakes and pitfalls, and to establish a framework for success.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:By testing we can position our us to make wise, informed decisions that honor God and serve others effectively.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Now in our next session we're going to be discussing knowing your audience, the importance of knowing who your audience really is.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise the Lord.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Hallelujah.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:So man, it's been good today.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:A little long, but that's all right because here's an action step for you for next time.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Right now you want to identify just one part, just one part of your test idea.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Do it today while you're thinking about it, while you're watching this video.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Do it today, whether through a quick survey or audience based email, something out with your idea to tell.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:I'm thinking about making this training on this.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Tell me about it.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Would that, is that something you'd be interested in?
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Okay, just a small little sampling.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Get this pilot test.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Use the insights that you learn from it to redefine or refine, I should say refine your concept and then you can take a confident next step fall.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Leave your comments and thoughts down below in the show notes here so others can benefit from your ideas as well.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:That's what this whole thing is all about.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Let's create that engagement.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Amen.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:Praise God.
Pastor Bob Thibodeau:That's all time we have for today, until next time passed about reminding you to be blessed in all that you do.