My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Systematically identify and enter established categories with differentiated positioning
Entrepreneurs targeting consumer product categories, brand strategists
2-3 months for analysis and positioning, 6-12 months to launchWhat Success Looks Like
Launch a product that captures meaningful market share in an established category by being the obvious different choice
Steps to Execute
Walk physical retail aisles to observe 'sea of sameness'
Document what everyone in category is doing identically
Research cultural shifts impacting adjacent categories
Identify which shifts haven't reached your target category
Choose single most impactful change to make
Test concept with friends/family for energy and excitement
Create two distinct creative executions of concept
Conduct consumer auditions (not focus groups) for feedback
Present concepts to retailers for improvement input
Refine based on feedback and launch with single differentiation
Checklist
Inputs Needed
- Access to retail locations for observation
- Cultural trend research capabilities
- Creative team for concept development
- Network for consumer feedback
- Retail relationships for input and distribution
Outputs
- Clear positioning strategy with single differentiation
- Validated product concept with market feedback
- Retail partner buy-in and distribution pathway
- Consumer messaging focused on one key benefit
Example
“Identify that vitamin aisle has all round bottles with confusing ingredient names. Apply 'lifestyle pursuit' trend from fitness industry. Create square bottles with benefit names like 'Sleep' and 'Beauty'. Test with consumers, refine with retailer input, launch with single message: vitamins designed as lifestyle products.”
Related Knowledge
Cultural Shift Detection Framework
A systematic approach to finding business opportunities by identifying cultural shifts or macro trends that have impacte
Creative Tension Framework
A method for creating compelling products by bringing together two disparate or opposing concepts to generate creative t
One Change Rule
A principle that limits innovation to changing only one major element of an existing product or service to maximize prob
Familiar-Novel Intersection Framework
A framework for positioning products at the optimal intersection between familiar (easy to understand) and novel (differ
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