It makes sense to base all of your business and creative decisions on the question “Will my customer love this?”

Why life changing?

The days when people could only shop in their locality are long-gone. Today new businesses have to compete with the dazzling choice available online as well as those on the high street.

Developing a product which improves someone’s life either due to its function, beauty, or both makes it an easy purchase decision for them. Whether they feel wealthy or are struggling to make ends meet, your brand must compete with all of the other things they want or need to spend their money on.  Proving that your product will make a difference to your customer brings them closer to making a positive purchase decision.

Your easiest market

The easiest product business to start is one that solves a problem for you and your peers. Not only will you have a market ready to buy from you, but you will also have willing testers for your prototypes without having to risk your brand’s reputation by going public with your minimum viable product.

Whilst we all like to think we are unique, humans are quite predictable in our behaviour patterns. So what works for you and your friends, will most likely appeal to many other individuals and groups in your broader target market.

The power of personal

When our friends do something exciting, we can’t help but talk about it. I remember when a close shoe designer friend of mine became Design Manager at Topshop. I was so proud of her, that I mentioned her in conversations without a second thought.

When you develop a product, you become someone’s entrepreneur friend/mother/brother/daughter. To them, what you are doing is worth broadcasting. Life-changing products are even easier to boast about.

Whilst you need your product to appeal to a wide audience, enthusiasm from your friends and family and their networks is essential at the start of your business journey. They will begin to generate the buzz you need to be noticed. Your job is to keep that initial momentum going, and encourage word to spread much further than just to friends of friends.

How we buy

How often do you buy something just because you’ve seen it in an advert? Probably not very often.

How frequently do you perform an internet search for a solution to a problem you’re facing? Perhaps once a day.

Do you ever look for a specific type of product, even if you don’t know for sure that it exists? A fruitless search is how many entrepreneurs come up with their product idea. They create something which should exist but doesn’t.

Developing a product which solves a problem that people are actively looking for answers to will change their lives.

When someone searches for a product, they are indicating that they already want to buy it. All they need to do is find it, trust it and be prepared to pay for it. Under-fulfilled SEO phrases are fertile ground for any startup business to exploit.

Generating your life changing idea

Think about the ways in which your new product could change your customers’ lives.

• Will it save them time?
• Does it make mundane activities more beautiful or enjoyable?
• Can it make your customer feel better about their appearance?
• Will it bring them comfort or an increased sense of wellbeing?
• If they are buying it for someone else, will it bring that person joy?

Now go out and change lives with your products!