Lesson One:  Got an idea?  Ask yourself “so what?”

Having a good idea is the easy part of innovation.  It’s so easy, it’s not worth even getting excited about it.

You’ve got to spend some time checking out whether your idea has legs.  There are two places to look:

You. Do you care enough about this product?  Is it aligned with your mission and your values?  Is it going to be difficult to abandon?

Your market. Will anyone else care about this product?  Is it actually needed by anyone?  Does it deliver something that’s not yet out there?  Is it going to be difficult NOT to abandon?

Resources: Your own values, mission.  Your coach.  The web, the local bookstore, and any shop (online or not) that might one day sell your product.

Lesson Two:  Go to “11″ on design

Less than 10% of the potential promotion partners to whom I sent a copy of Get Unstuck & Get Going said “no.”  And the most common comment people made when they got it was “this is beautiful” (even the folk who said no said it was beautiful).  One book review even claimed I might be “one of the most stylish publishers of all time.”

By investing in design, you create intrigue and curiosity.  People want to pick it up and play.  You also create “added value.”  People are willing to pay more for something that’s beautifully designed.

Resources: Design by Tom Peters; any product that catches your eye and makes you go wow!  (My list includes: iPods, Dyson vacuum cleaners, VW Beetles, Cervelo bicycles, buildings designed by Sir Norman Foster)

Lesson Three:  A prototype is worth a thousand pictures (which means it’s the equivalent of one million words)

The final version of Get Unstuck & Get Going was the 10th iteration.  In that time, it changed its name (it’s been “The Action Lab” and “Booster Shot”), changed the number of “flips,” introduced a Little Green Book, tried out four different bindings, and was rewritten at least three times.

What that meant is that when I started finding strategic partners, I was able to send them a prototype that was pretty close to the real thing.  When people picked it up they wanted to talk to me.

(I sent some publishing houses an earlier prototype and in retrospect, understand why they never got back to me.  The prototypes looked amateurish.  I’d moved too fast).

Resources: Paper, scissors, crayons, tape, glue and your own imagination.  IDEO is the design company that’s really led the way on this.

Lesson Four:  Think about distribution

Creating the product gets you to the start line.  It’s extraordinarily tempting to think that the major peak has been climbed once you get your product in your hand.  But you’ve just reached a plateau.  What you DON’T want to happen is giving your product as a holiday gift to people for the next 38 years!

Even as end of your product creation cycle draws near, you must be thinking about how you’re getting it out into the world.  The corporate jargon for that is “distribution” – and for many successful businesses, a good distribution network is the secret to business success.

Focus on active rather than passive channels.  By passive I mean having it listed on your website and hoping that people will find it.  By active I mean thinking about all the channels you will have already considered as you built your coaching practice:  speaking, strategic alliances, affiliate relationships, stores, online stores.

I invested a good deal in building a list of affiliates prior to launch.  It took me four months (and at times it felt like I was “treading water” when I wanted to just get my book out into the world).  But at the end of that time, I had over 50 partners and over 750,000 people on my combined distribution list.

Resources: Coaching-toys.com; Amazon.com; EBay.com; SmartMatch Alliances by Feld & Oriente

Lesson Five:  Get great people to help you

I had a “cast of thousands” helping me out with Get Unstuck & Get Going.  I have more than sixty people
listed on my “thank you” page.  Some of the key ones include:

• An awesome editor
• A genius designer
• Two brilliant coaches (LA Reding and Ernest Oriente)
• A wise print manager (Donna Coroa)
• A terrific web designer (www.zoonini.com) and website optimiser (www.acriley.com)
• A persistent Virtual Assistant

In most cases, it took quite a bit of hunting around and interviewing before I found the people who were going to be a great fit.  And it was absolutely worth the time and effort.  Without them, Get Unstuck & Get Going would still be an unrealized dream.

Resources: Your own persistence.  Colleagues and clients you trust who can refer great people to you.

The journey to make your own product is nothing short of exhilarating!  Good luck!