So you’ve got this seed of an idea for a business (or new offering in your existing business) and you’ve got a pretty good feeling about it.

But your pesky inner critic – let’s call her Maud – is not so sure.

“Who are you to say you help people with [insert your awesome idea]?”

“There are 1027647146 other people out there offering [insert your awesome idea].

Why the heck would someone decide to choose you over them?”

Etc.etc.

But you’ve (cautiously) shared it with a few people you trust to be honest with you.

Your mum, your best friend and your partner. And they all concur.

It’s a go-er! 

So you start to feel a little more confident that this could indeed be a viable business idea.

But whose opinion is to be trusted? Maud’s or your trusted friends and family members’?

Newsflash…

Neither. (sorry about that).

Whose opinions should matter most?

Your dream clients’ opinions matter above all others.

Lovely and supportive as your family members might be, unless they reflect your ideal client, I’m afraid their opinions count for very little. 

If you have an idea for a new product, service (or even a business) ‘seed’ it with the people you intend it to serve, and ask them for their honest opinions.

Does it sound like something they’d need?

What would they like it to include?

What would they be willing to pay for it?

That way you’ll only design something you know there is already a demand for.

‘Seeding’ is a relatively low-risk way to gauge interest in an idea or concept, whilst also bringing prospective clients and customers on ‘a journey’ with you; co-creating a solution with them that they may well invest in further down the line.

People like to get in at the start of any project. It makes them feel like an ‘early adopter’. Special. Particularly if they helped shape the thing they are signing up to.

That’s why founders’ rates and ‘beta’ programmes tend to do so well once they launch.

I used this approach when I launched my affordable career coaching membership, The Shine Collective and I signed 10 people as soon as it went live.

Seeding can happen on social media, over the phone or via a brief online survey – whatever works for you.

If you have an acorn of an idea for a new offering (or even a new purpose-led business), how could you get in front of your dream prospective clients and find out what they would want?

Once you validate your idea, you’ll be able to launch it with confidence that it will be viable and that there is a ready-made audience waiting to buy it from you.

I’d love to hear about any ‘acorns’ you are sitting on. Share them with me by dropping me an email here, and I’ll help you come up with some ways to see if they’ve got legs.

You never know – they could just well become mighty oaks one day if you start growing it today!