Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money

by Pat Flynn

Introduction

Good ideas are common, but those who are willing to take action and execute those ideas are far more rare.

Part 1: Mission Design

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” — Japanese Proverb

1 Before Your Journey Begins

The purpose of Mission Design is to help you understand what your goals are in all areas of your life and help you determine whether or not your target idea supports them. How your target idea will perform in the market means nothing if you can’t validate how it can support you first.

2 The Airport Test

You find yourself at the airport. As you sit in the terminal, waiting for your next flight, you feel someone tap your shoulder.

“So how’s everything going? How is life treating you these days?” You respond with, “AMAZING! Life couldn’t get any better.” And you really mean it.

What’s happening in your life five years from now that makes you respond like this?

Entrepreneurs are notorious for “idea churn”—starting something new, only to abandon it for another idea. Sometimes this churn is fast, and sometimes it’s slow, but our goal here is to reduce the chances of churn happening at all.

Why Five Years?

Five years is quite a long time, but not too long. It’s about as far as anybody can reasonably project into the future with an executable plan to reach certain milestones and goals, but it’s not so far into the future that ideas go beyond the capability of immediate action.

Step 1: Set Up Your Sheet

Just grab a sheet of paper, and fold it in half in both directions so that after you unfold it you have it divided into four quadrants.

Step 2: Define The Four Most Important Categories of Your Life

Step 3: Determine Why Life is Awesome Five Years from Now

3 The History Test

Step 1: The What

let’s start with the first job you ever had.

Step 2: The When

Beneath your first entry, write down when you did that, like this: When: 1998-2000

Step 3: T...

List three answers to the followi...

What did you enjoy about it?

Step 4: Your Favorite Memory

write down your single favorite memory related to this.

Step 5: The Bad

let’s think about what you didn’t like about what you were doing.

Step 6: Grade

A – Everything about it was perfect! B – For the most part, it was very enjoyable. C – It was okay. D – Didn’t really like it much. F – A terrible experience.

4 The Shark Bait Test

I could probably hire someone right now to do whatever it is you’re thinking of doing. So why should I be interested in working with you? What makes you so special?”

What is your unfair advantage?

Types of Unfair Advantages

She describes an unfair advantage as a skill or asset that you have that no one else has, or very few others might have in a specific niche.

email 10 friends and colleagues and ask them to identify your superpowers.

5 Folding Your Wings

Part 2: Development Lab

“I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through—then follow through.” —Sir Walter Scott

6 Before You Print Your Business Card

7 Germination

To help you through this, we’re going to create a mind map.

What is a Mind Map?

Method 1: Post-it Notes

A single Post-It note represents a single thought, and they can be easily moved around, grouped together or discarded.

Method 2: Mind Mapping Software

Don’t think.

Mind Mapping Phase 1: The Brain Dump

Your mind mapping method (Post-It notes or software) ready. A space where you’ll be uninterrupted for 10 minutes. A countdown timer (like the one on your mobile phone) set for 10 minutes. Any other thing that helps you think best (e.g. coffee, music, your favorite chair) And finally, an open mind that won’t think about order, structure, or editing.