How to keep going with your product creation

How to keep going with your product creation

0 (00:00:00):

Right.

Vicki Weinberg (00:00:08):

Welcome to the Bring Your Product Ideas to Life podcast, practical advice and inspiration to help you create and sell your own physical products. He is your host Vicki Weinberg all right. So I hate that, that wherever, and whenever you are listening to this and you are safe and well, so I wanted you to call it a bit of a different episode for you today, because I'm aware of that since launch in this podcast, I've put out lots of episodes around the, how tos of creating and launching a physical product. And so of going in to detail about some of the steps you need to take and things to watch out for them, and some of the things you have to do. And we've also had lots of amazing guests who have been really honest Aiken and shared they're product creation stories and the things that they've learnt.

Vicki Weinberg (00:00:52):

And, you know, there are mistakes that they've made and their best advice for you, which I think all of this is really valuable, but I am aware of that at the time of recording this. So it's the middle of July, 2020 at the moment, there is a lot going on in the world. So having the UK, om, if you are listening to your or UK, you all know that we've been in lockdown since the end of March. That was actually the same a week that I started. This podcast is by complete coincidence. And now in the UK, at least a knockdown is gradually easing, but Life definitely isn't back to normal. And I think over the past couple of months, Life is been really busy. Four lots of this, and this is probably relevant whenever you Listen actually, because you know, things that are always busy, things that are always changing.

Vicki Weinberg (00:01:38):

But I wanted to record this episode because I feel like there's been so many really valid reasons over the past couple of months, why you might have stopped your product creation. You know, you might have got to a certain point. And for actually, I'm just going to put these down for awhile or why perhaps you said that 2020, it was going to be the year when you release your product into the world, you find that created it. But actually you haven't, you know, made a start yet because there's just so much going on. Isn't there. I mean, you know, I think like obviously money is a big thing, you know, invest in the money in a Product right now, this is perhaps a bit scary. Then it might have been six months ago for some of us. I mean, lots of us and myself included if I had children at home and homeschooling to do and trying to fit to everything around that, it has to be spoken about sourcing in the last couple of episodes and sourcing a broad is a bit chat, more challenging now than it has been.

Vicki Weinberg (00:02:32):

I think for lots of us is just a lot going on. There is a bit less time is a bit, maybe more things to think about. And there was just so many, as I say, really valid reasons why perhaps you might have actually got so far in your product creation and then just put it aside. But I'm recording this episode with the assumption. Umm, and the hope of actually, if I'm honest that at some point the time we'll be right for you to pick it back up

again because you absolutely can pick it back up a game and perhaps, you know, perhaps you you've stopped for a while for none of the reasons that I've mentioned Perhaps, it's something entirely, perhaps it is. You've got to suck at a certain point or is it something completely different? And you know, as always, if there's anything I could do to help you get unstuck, do you get in touch?

Vicki Weinberg (00:03:17):

You can email me Vicki so I had a chipmunk or a.com and let me know if it's something that I don't talk about here. So I just want to talk about free kind of the reasons that you might be struggling perhaps to either get started or too sort of pick up where you, where you left off of your product creation and some ideas of how you might get over that and get yourself moving again. If, if, and when the time is right for you to do that. So I think the first thing that could hold us back, his kind of, I guess, will call the mental barriers. So fees are the things like feeling, I can't do this. What will people say? Perhaps you are having thoughts of ours.

Vicki Weinberg (00:03:59):

You know, this, this, this is a bad time to launch a product. What will people think of me? And I've got this great idea, but you know, when in the middle of a, of a global pandemic in the recession and then might be a recession and people have got less money and you might have all kinds of, of, of the reasons why you're thinking, Oh, actually this isn't the right time for me to do this best advice. I can give you a solicitor if you listen to episode 11 of this podcast. So that was with Emma Jefferys who trades this action woman. And Emma is a fantastic coach. And that episode is all about helping you to get unstuck. If you feel that it's, it's a mental barrier that is getting in your way. And of course it may be in, it may be, it may not be because I completely understand that sometimes it's hard to distinguish where, so there might be a bit of an imposter syndrome may be.

Vicki Weinberg (00:04:46):

So there are, you know, you might be hearing some voices in your heads telling you, or would actually hurt you to do this or, you know, time isn't right for that. And I think that episode of Emma will be really helpful too. Sort of challenge some of the things that you're thinking and hopefully get you a little bit unstuck and in a place where you feel happy and competent and capable about moving forward. So that episode 11 is a great one to listen too. So the second reason that you might be struggling to get a pick this up again is some misconceptions. So what I mean by this is you might have ideas or fears. Aren't actually true. So when I spoke about earlier was a, why would I want to Product nobody has any money to buy anything right now.

Vicki Weinberg (00:05:28):

Actually there's been lots of research that says that just isn't true. There are plenty of people now who do are plenty of money and are buying things equally. They are people who have less money and aren't, but I mean, there are still customers out there and online stores in particular are still trading and are still doing very well. So that's just an example of one misconception that actually it isn't true and that it isn't, you know, you don't want something like that, a thought like that to you to stop you from creating your idea. Because

actually what if your idea for Product is something that's so necessarily right now, perhaps is something that will really, that will really help people in this, in the situation, women right at this moment.

Vicki Weinberg (00:06:09):

So that it was definitely not as a time to look at things like that, hold you back. I recorded a specific episode. It was episode eight, which is all about misconceptions. And I think that's worth listening team. So we spoke about things like a fear of getting ripped off by suppliers, the fear of sourcing your own product and thinking about it. She is it possible? And another big one I spoke about And I I know I speak about this a lot. I'm well aware is will anyone buy my products? Or perhaps the misconception is nobody will buy my product. So I'm

kind of spent all this time when nobody will buy it. And so I go in to this subject, So about validating your product idea.

Vicki Weinberg (00:06:50):

In episode five, episode six and episode nine, episode nine is probably the one I wanted to initially recommend. It is a great ones to listen to you if you haven't already. So I spoke to Abby tennis, who is a market and customer research specialist, and she spoke about how to carry out customer and market research yourself. So how you can do it yourself without, you know, the need to involve an expert, how to do it in ways that you feel comfortable. But it's basically the, the idea is that Abby and myself were both really passionate about you doing some research, just finding out, you know, rather than thinking, Oh, I'm going to create this product and nobody is going to buy it.

Vicki Weinberg (00:07:30):

Why not challenge that? Why not talk to people about your products and find out what is that actually? Is that actually true? Because absolutely you don't want to create a product that nobody is going to buy. That it'll be a complete waste of your time and your money, your energy I've set up lots of times. I feel we stand behind it, but equally, if you're idea is amazing and it's got to help people and lots of people will buy it, you need to get it out there. And the only way to know for sure is to find out where your customers are and ask them. So, as I say, I know we speak about this a lot. Sorry, something that I do feel quite passionate about. So those are the places I would suggest going. If you have, you know, if the reason you're not getting started is around some kind of fear and you just actually not sure whether that's true or not, because that that's face it.

Vicki Weinberg (00:08:16):

If you haven't done this before, you know, you haven't created your own product in non strain products, you, you're not going to know all the ins and out and, and nor should you be expected to And. And that's why I'm doing my best to try and help you out here. Because as someone who has been for him at all. So, umm, and

speaking of which and the fed reasons or for Catriona, I gave of why perhaps you might be struggling a bit to sort of resume your product creation right now is so overwhelmed. So what do I do? Where do I start? It's just is such a big task and it is, isn't it, it's a massive. And when you think of that sort of How, you know, if he's got an idea for a product, your head now and you want to have something physical that people can buy,

you know, in a couple of months time, let's say to get from point a to point B is, is it is big.

Vicki Weinberg (00:09:04):

And then there are lots of things involved. And I do hear this a lot from people is, you know, we have enough to where to start, what do I do first? What do I do next? It was so much more overwhelmed. So my best advice here is to break things down into tiny pieces. I'm a really big fan of doing everything in baby steps and possibly because when I started creating my products that actually did have a new baby, I had a six week old as I've talked about in a previous episode. And I own, it really had small chunks of time to do anything because I also had a three year old and unless they were both asleep or by three year old was at a preschool and my baby was sleeping.

Vicki Weinberg (00:09:48):

I had no time. And it was obviously in that time it was hard to do all the other things you have to do, you know, around the house and everything else. So I think that probably was, do you know, it was for like 20 minutes here and there every day, if I could, or every other day just doing one small task, kind of working towards what I wanted to do, but I got there in the end then yes, it took a long time, but I did get there. And I do think that sort of planning out the steps that you need to take. And even if you don't know what the steps are and you know, the one of your tasks was to actually Google something, it, it is a star. And one of a saying that I kind of live by is actually rates anxiety.

Vicki Weinberg (00:10:29):

And I do think that the action is a great way. If you don't really know what to do when you're feeling a bit stuck. I think taking one tiny step is a great thing because it builds momentum. You take more steps and you know, you'll get there. So I have a free checklist that you might actually find useful so you can get it out. Checklist dot Vicki Weinberg that's w E I N B E R g.com forward slash FREE I'll link to that in the show notes as well. So I'm aware, I've probably said that quite quickly. So it basically breaks down all of the stages of creating your product. So validation research, rhino's in the spirit of looking for suppliers, ordering samples place in your final order and other things like branding, package it in photography, write it in a product description and set it up on marketplaces.

Vicki Weinberg (00:11:16):

Just lots of the things you need to think about doing when you're looking to create your products, I've just listen to them all out for you. So you've got a starting point. You kind of know what the steps in the process are. And I think hopefully just knowing that will reduce a bit of the overwhelm and give you a better idea of what's involved. And I do have a product creation course that I believe I've mentioned before, probably, which also takes you through the process. So the checklist gives you the, what you need to do. So these are the steps you need to take to get your product ready to launch. And the product creation costs is the house. If every single step in that checklist, it will take you through in detail exactly what you need to do.

Vicki Weinberg (00:11:60):

How and how do we need to do it? We have lots of practical tasks. So the idea is you can work through that and, and get your product ready to launch. If you want more details on anything that I've put in the checklist. So I'm, you know, for example, I'll talk about getting a product photography. M if you want more information

on a specific topic that is the, the best place to go. It is my blog, which is blogged or a tiny chipmunk.com. And there's lots of articles. There are lots of different topics and also this podcast as well. I mean, I aim to talk about all aspects of product creation obviously is going to take me some, some time to get through everything, but I'm between myself and the fantastic guests that I have on hopefully.

Vicki Weinberg (00:12:41):

And you'll get lots more information about everything that's involved. And I guess I'll finish just by saying, I mean, that's a really quick run through, as I say it, this was a bit of a different episode from usual. I just want to record something. Its kind of give a bit of reassurance and perhaps in practical steps and places that you can go next If if, as I say, you have any reason I've started to create in your product or didn't quit start and then you just thought, you know, I need to put this on hold for while and now you ready to pick it up a game, but it just seems sometimes it seems more daunting to start something in a second time. I think that it did it, you know, the first time around 'cause you also have these fears about it.

Vicki Weinberg (00:13:21):

You know, things are different than when you were looking at it originally and yeah, things might be different and it might be depending on what your product idea is, Perhaps in each or changing slightly between when you're first looking to launch here and now because Maybe the world's changed, you know, the, the market's

changed or competitors or different, that kind of thing, but that's definitely something you can look at. And I guess I just want to finish by saying that I absolutely believe that you are capable of doing this. If you are really stuck, do you want to help gain unstuck? Hopefully then there was also that I've spoken about and we'll link up in the show. Notes will help you that if you do have any specific questions that you know, you don't feel that aren't answered or anything, that's tripping you up, please just get in touch.

Vicki Weinberg (00:14:06):

It's Vicki at tiny chipmunk.com, always happy to help you out. That's the whole purpose of the podcast. How are we use them here? It is like I really wanted to be of East Yi. And the final thing I'll say is please, please, please. If you are listening to this in Apple podcasts, do rate and review the show. So racing takes a second. You literally just click the number of stars you feel this podcast deserves. And then if you do have a minute or two extra and you'd like to bite me a short review, that would be fantastic. And I do really appreciate it. So yeah, I'll just leave you by saying I absolutely believe in you. I absolutely believe that you can do this. Don't get stock.

Vicki Weinberg (00:14:46):

If you need help, ask for help. I'm here and I will look forward to talking to you again next week.