Great Idea - Now What?

As an independent Industrial Designer, I get calls from wanna be entrepreneurs with a great idea but know little about what to do next, understandably. If I just described you, I hope I can cut out some of the learning curve to give you a better chance of success.

I could make a laundry list of things that can and often do go wrong in a cold start business based on an idea. I wouldn't be the first to say the "idea" is the easy part, but you have to start somewhere and I totally get the American Dream. The fact of the matter is people would rather ramble into it and learn as they go than give up before they start.

Given that, there is something to be said about being prepared. It's all the little things that add up into big things.