Here's Britta. She just turned a part time hobby designing a kinda cool, slightly funky, product into a full time job: she just sold (as of this writing) $157,000 worth of product in the last couple of weeks.
How did she do it? Really simple. Here are the simple steps to building a venture like this:
- Come up with an idea for a product/service. The more narrowly focused it is, the better. The easier it is to build DIY, the better. If you can't come up with a good idea on your own, find a group that is working on a good idea and get involved.
- If there isn't a group already working on the idea your are interested in, create an online group to work on the idea (discussion groups, blogs, etc. are cheap/costless to build) with you. Chances are, if you are interested in it, there are thousands of other people around the world that are. Recruit people to help.
- Design, prototype and deploy. Share ideas. Collaborate. Make the design better. Help other people design a better version, they will help you.
- Once you think you have a great design, build a prototype, source the manufacturing (if it can be done locally, all the better), price it. Essentially, get it ready for sale.
- Next, build a marketing message. Build a marketing site. Make a video pitch.
- Finally, launch the product. Go to a site like Kickstarter, where you can pitch your product and pre-sell (you are selling it prior to making it, negating the risk of a garage full of unsold merchandise) it to a large audience.
Note, that nothing in this process costs anything but time. It's something anybody can do. Further, if you fail, it only costs you time (and a little humility) to try it again and again until you are successful.
Why should you build a venture like this? It's a financial lifeboat that generates real income. It's about learning to make an income online that can support you and your family, regardless of where you live. An income that isn't dependent on the whims/fortunes of the bureaucratic and corrupt global economy (aka the Titanic). An income that doesn't depend on educational degrees, licenses, certification, resumes, a boss, seniority, tenure, etc.
Frankly, if you can learn to build online ventures successfully (and teach your kids to do it too), you will be perfectly positioned to succeed in the resilient economy of the 21st Century.
Follow me on Twitter.