MML Turning Passion Into Products Ebook

Tur ning Passion into Products
PAM HENDRICKSON & MIKE KOENIGS
Copyright 2012 Product Solutions Group, LLC. All rights reserved. DO NOT DUPLICATE OR DISTRIBUTE WITHOUT PERMISSION. This action book and associated presentation contain proprietary content and must not be duplicated or distributed without written permission. No portion of this material may be shared or reproduced in any manner under any circumstance whatsoever without advanced written permission from Product Solutions Group, LLC. No portion of this material is intended to offer legal, medical, personal or financial advice. Weve taken every effort to ensure we accurately represent these strategies and their potential to help you grow your business. However, we do not purport this as a get rich scheme and there is no guarantee that you will earn any money using the content, strategies or techniques displayed here. Nothing in this presentation is a promise or guarantee of earnings. Your level of success in attaining similar results is dependent upon a number of factors including your skill, knowledge, ability, connections, dedication, business savvy, business focus, business goals, and financial situation. Because these factors differ according to individuals, we cannot guarantee your success, income level, or ability to earn revenue. You alone are responsible for your actions and results in life and business, and by your use of these materials, you agree not to attempt to hold us liable for any of your decisions, actions or results, at any time, under any circumstance. The information contained herein cannot replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in any field, including, but not limited to, financial or legal matters. Under no circumstances, including but not limited to negligence, will Pam Hendrickson, Mike Koenigs, Chris Hendrickson, Product Solutions Group, LLC, or any of its representatives or contractors be liable for any special or consequential damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials, information, or success strategies communicated through these materials, or any services following these materials, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
TuRNING PASSION INTO PRODuCTS 2011 Product Solutions Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
Turning Passion inTo ProducTs

Creating a best-selling product all begins with an idea. And behind the best products in the world, youll find not just an idea but also a passion driving it. Passion is an essential component in a world-class product. Passion will drive you to absolute excellence, to create a product thats more than just good. Passion will keep you going during the hard times and the uncertain times. Any project thats backed by a whirlwind of energy and devotion can overcome fear and doubtand keep you forging ahead, even when the future is uncertain. Passion also ensures a happy long-term relationship with your product. If you do it right, the things you create will stick with you for a long time. If you choose something that excites you, the product of your work will likely be something that youll want to wake up to day in and day out. Some lucky people are born knowing what their passion is. Others of us have to discover our passion. The following pages will guide you down the path of uncovering what it is that truly gets you goingand set you on the path of using that energy to shape an idea into a world-class, best-selling product.
Step One: Set the Stage for Discovery

There are many reasonssome very personalthat keep people from finding their passion in life. We cant tell you why you havent yet found your passion, but we can tell you what will keep you from discovering it. The next few exercises will lead you through a process of excavating the things that are really important to you, the things that drive you and your innate skills and talents. For these exercises to be truly revealing, you must be willing to do the following things that may have kept you from finding your passion in the past:
You must be willing to get honest with yourself.

Reasons, false stories and couldve/wouldve/shouldves have no place in this process. If you cheat yourself out of the real truthand refuse to let yourself go deep enough to find ityou wont excavate any truths that have been hidden inside you. Youll just end up with the same old story that you started with.
By consciously agreeing to be honest with yourself during this process, youll allow new thoughts, however unexpected, or even possibly painful, to surface and bring fresh ideas into your life. For those of you who are already worried, let us reassure you: we all have a passion. Its just a matter of clarifying it and allowing it to grow. (And if you find yourself saying, Hooey! then see #3 below.)
You must be willing to try something different.

Theres a lot of truth in the old phrase, If you keep on doing what youve always done, youll keep on getting what youve always got. Some of these exercises may seem silly. You may glance at them and think, This will never work for me. All we ask is that you try everything we throw at you. If you havent found your passion yet on your own, then its probably time to let some new opinions into your life. That doesnt mean that your own emotions dont have a place in this process. Its important to pay special attention to anything that creates an extreme reaction in you, either positive or negative. Passion is a two-headed coinand anger is much better than indifference. If you find your temperature rising, then know that youre making progress.
You must be willing to abandon the critical part of your brain.

The product creation process ultimately requires BOTH sides of your brain: the logical, critical left brain who analyzes, judges and puts things in order and the creative, free-associating right brain who rearranges, pulling things out of their usual drawers and tossing them willy-nilly. For this initial process, you need to give yourself permission to be entirely right-brained. Dont be afraid to be silly, to look foolish, to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, embrace it. Allow yourself to live in your right brain, even if your left brain might think its dumb or immature or ridiculous. Well give you some tips on maximizing your right brain activity in the instructions that follow.
Test yourself right now. As youve been reading, how many of these have popped up in your mind? Have you said to yourself . . . Its too late. If I havent found my passion by now, Ill never find it. No one else can help me find my passion. I just have to stumble on it. Or, if youve already toyed with some ideas for your niche, maybe your demons sound more like . . . I cant do that for a living. Everyone will think Im _________. No one will pay me for that. Some of these are limiting beliefs. Others are just examples of critical internal dialoguea biological defense mechanism to keep you from looking silly. As youre working, let your ideas flow. Write down the first thing that comes to mind, even if it sounds silly or dumb. Dont cut yourself off. Just let everything come out until youve emptied your mind, like pouring out an entire pitcher of water without stopping to check the levels. If you feel yourself judging or criticizing, consciously set those activities aside for later. The time for analysis will come, we promise.
You must carve out some quiet, distraction-free time to complete these exercises.
Yes, its difficultbut its also necessary. In order for you to excavate whats hidden inside of you, you need to be able to create a space of absolute silence. A space in which you can listen to your inner voice, which will point you in the right direction. Television, music, spouses, childrenany of these things will create a level of noise that will keep you from hearing that little voice of intuition whos going to guide your way. You dont need an hour. Steal 15 minutes here, 5 minutes there. Close a door, walk around the block, sit in your car, do these exercises and listen. It will have a profound effect. Agreed? Lets start excavating.
Step Two: Focus on You

This is the fun part. How often do you get to do something thats all about you?!? In this section, well lead you through a series of prompts to uncover clues as to where your skills, talents and energies line up to create the right field for you. This section is all about collecting information. For now, dont worry about where its leading.
Self Q&A
Make a date to sit down and interview yourself. What youre looking for as you go through these questions is your gut reactionthe first thing that comes to your mind and everything else that tumbles out afterward. Youre NOT looking for the should answer. Were not interested in what you think you should say or what your spouse, mother, brother or friend thinks you would say. We want your honest response. A silent environment can often bring these answers more easily to the surface by freeing you up to hear the response. Approach these questions like a brainstorm: write down whatever comes to mind until youve exhausted your thought process. Write everything down. Dont let your left brain censor yourself. Just free associate and keep your eyes open for powerful reactions from yourself, either positive or negative.
Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Whats your favorite way to spend your leisure time? If you had three hours to do absolutely anything you wanted, what would you do? (If you dont have much leisure time, how would you spend it? Reach for the stars on this one. If you love to sit on the beach, even if you live thousands of miles from the nearest stretch of sand, include sitting on the beach.)
2. Do you have a collection that you keep? Anything counts! Postcards, wine corks, buttons, Pinterest boards, scrapbookingwrite down anything you consciously collect, especially if youve spent money on it.
3. Speaking of money, what are your favorite things to splurge on when youve got a little extra cash? If we gave you $300, what would you buy?
4. Name 5 things that make you really happyand get specific. Why does each one bring you such joy?
5. Name 5 things that really piss you off. Again, be specific, and see if you can record exactly what it is that fires you up.
6. When was the last time you stayed up until 1am? 3am? What were you doing?
7. Do you ever catch yourself daydreaming? What do you think about? (If you dont daydream, imagine the perfect life. Let go of where you are now and spend 5 minutes thinking about what it would be life to live the perfect version of your life. Write down your discoveries below.)
8. Imagine that you have 9 lives, like a cat. You can be or do anything you want in those 9 lives. Who or what would you be? A professional scuba diver? An Amazonian jungle guide? A high-powered CEO? List them below.
9. Think back to your childhood. When people asked you, What do you want to be when you grow up? what would you say?
10. What is your single strongest skill - i.e. if I were known for one thing and one thing only, what would it be? This can be a life skill. It can be a workplace skill. Just pick one - no matter how niche or bizarre it is.
11. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
12. Whats the quirkiest thing youve ever done?
13. Name one no-fail way to bring a smile to your face.
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Try the following prompts. Sometimes, completing a sentence can
kickstart an idea, especially when you dont answer the way you thought you might. These sentence completions may spark something new for you: 1. I could never . . .
2. If I won the lottery, the first thing Id do is . . .
The second thing Id do is . . .
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A typical day in my life would start with . . .
. . . and end with . . .
3. If I could switch places with anyone in the world, it would be . . .
Because . . .
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4. If I knew with absolute certainty that I wouldnt fail, I would . . .
5. If things had been different for me, I would have been a . . .
Once youre done, take a look over your answers. Dont make too many judgments at this point. Look for things that surprise you or stir up any kind of emotion. Mark them with a star and continue on to the next section without too much analysis. Well tackle that later.
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Step Three: Get Some Perspective

Its one of lifes great ironies that were often not the best judge of ourselves. In this next exercise, well look to some outside sources to get a different perspective on you. Sometimes a shift in point of view is all that you need to answer a question in an entirely different light.
Turn the Q&A on Other People

As you go on this journey to discover your true passion and decide what you want to do with it, keep these exercises and answers in the back of your mind. When you find yourself mulling over your answers at unexpected times, embrace it. Even more importantly, bringing it into other aspects of your life will only serve you. You never know where you will find the answers youre looking for. One of the best ways to do this is to ask questions of other people. When you meet someone newor even when youre sitting with old friendsask people what they do. Do they love it? Do they have a passion? What would they do if they won the lottery? Even people who you think you know well might share some unexpected thoughts. You might find inspiration in their answers and some hints of your own. Dont be shy to look to the experts, whether you know them personally or not. Do you have any personal heroes? Mentors who have guided your way? Who are 5 people you admire? What is their passion? How do they use this passion in their businesses? How did they discover it?
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If you dont know these people personally, Google around to see if you can find the answers. If youre feeling bold, write a few of them and see what kind of response you get. Ask others who may have access to some of the people who interest you. If youre thinking, Theyll never write back, or Its been too long since weve talked, try breaking out of that mind set. You might be surprisedand you might miss out on a key interaction that will shed some light on your situation. Modelingusing techniques that are already proven to work can be an extremely powerful way of short-cutting your business success. Why not apply it to your search for your passion?
Ask Other People About YOu

You may get some surprising information if you ask a colleague, friend, boss or family member to sit down and have a talk about you. An outsiders perspective can sometimes prove invaluable. Pick 3-4 people whose opinion you trust and ask them to spend a few minutes answer the following questions with you. Remember that this process is about honesty, so encourage them to be frank. Make sure you pick people whose opinion you trust and who are supportive of you! Otherwise, this wont be a productive exercise. You may not like 100% of the answers (and maybe you will!). Either way, asking for an outside opinion from someone you trust will help you get closer to the truth.
Ask your trusted source:

1. What do I get really excited about (and maybe talk your ear off about)?
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2. What do you think is most important to me?
3. Whats my best quality?
4. Whats my worst quality?
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5. In the course of our relationship, have I taught you anything?
6. What do you value most about our relationship?
7. Whats your favorite thing about me? (Dont cringe. Just ask!)
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8. If I could improve ONE thing about myself, what would you suggest?
As with the other exercises, record the answers without judgments. Do a brief search for commonalities or anything that stirs up particular emotions, but dont overanalyze.
Step Four: Look for Patterns

Now that youve done your research and given your right brain full permission to free associate, its time to let in your left brain. Were going to take all of the data youve collected and look for patterns. Your first task is to look for similarities, repetition and relationships among your sources. For example, if you professed a love of splurging on a bottle of expensive Scotch and a friend mentions the martini you made for him last week, thats something to take note of. Sometimes the relationships will be obvious. Other times, it may be more challenging to make the connection between your love for collecting old photographs and your enthusiasm for technology, which might turn into creating a web-based software platform to capture family history and genealogy. One trick that might work for you is to write down all of your nuggets on individual index cards. Mix the cards up and group them together as you discover relationships.
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If you have Love to dig in the garden on one card and Susan says I wont shut up about the benefits of organic produce on another, put those cards together, then think about what the synergy of those two ideas might create. For example, you might consider showing people how easy it is to grow their own organic mini-garden. Write this down on a new index card that you either keep in a separate pile, or color-code differently. Or maybe you have I would buy a piece of land in Napa and grow grapes on one card and Feel most relaxed when Im trying new recipes in the kitchen on another. Put those two cards together. You might think about showing people how to make their own wine, either from a kit that contains everything they needor by showing them how to grow their own grapes. Capture whatever connections you come up with. Then rearrange the cards again to see if you can come up with different connections. Come up with as many as you can. It might help to set yourself a 15-minute timer and come up with as many connections as you can in that time. You might also consider spending 10 minutes each day for, say, three days on this process. As youre doing this, keep a couple of things in mind:
Give yourself permission to channel the philosophy of Apple and think different.
Writer David Turnbull suggests that, even though most people think of passions as a noun like wine or tennis, your passion may be a verb. His happens to be problem solving, which he puts into play by creating hardware solutions to solve business problems. Whats your verb? Also consider using different modes to explore the research youve created. The index cards game is a kinesthetic one, but you may prefer verbalizing your findings, either out loud to yourself or to a friend. If youre visual, explore these exercises by drawing pictures or creating collages. Experimenting with new media will help you make new connections in the style of your choice. (Keeping the passion of someone like Steve Jobs in mind isnt a bad idea, either.)
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Dismiss NOTHING.
A lot of people look at what their discovery has excavated and think, I could NEVER (for example) know enough about Italian opera to share with anyone. People get their degree in that topic! Dismiss nothing. Look for alternate solutions. Make your biggest disadvantage into your greatest asset. For example, create a complete no-nonsense newbies guide to Italian operas. Even experts on the topic may appreciate your fresh approach. Also, remember the old saying, In the land of the blind, the oneeyed man is king. You dont need to be the top scholar on your issue. Even if you feel like youre starting from Square One, there are people at Square Zero. Your passionand your perspective count for a lot. Remember: people arent paying you for what you know. Theyre paying you to sift through whats out there and give them the good stuff. And
Remember that you can be the expert, or you can be the reporter.
There are plenty of people out there with needed expertisebut with zero desire to put it into a product that they can sell. Why not learn your favorite topicsoup to nutsby helping a scholar or an expert turn your mutual passion into a product? Its a win-win situation for both of you: you get paid to study your favorite topic and your expert gets a product that he or she can use.
Give yourself some time.

Inspiration isnt the kind of thing that strikes you out of the blue. Inspiration strikes after youve done the work, let it percolate and allowed your brain to make the unconscious connections it needs to. Take periodic breaks from what youre doing. Walk around the block. Take two days off. After youve put in the time, youll find that inspiration will strike you in the most unlikely placesif you give it time to hit.
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Keep your eyes out for opportunities along the way.

Call it coincidence, call it serendipity, call it destiny, but very often when youre on a quest such as this, what you ultimately find isnt what you were looking for, but an opportunity you stumbled on along the way. Maybe one of the people you interview about yourself turns out to be a JV partner in a new deal. Or maybe you see an ad for a productand you just know you could do something way better. Dont ignore these opportunities! Its all part of the process.
Decision Time
At some point, youre going to have to make a final decision: choose whatever it is you want to work on and stick with it for the time being. Take all of the connections youve made and start winnowing them down to things youre really excited about. Go with your gut instinct. Remember, this is going to be something that will stick with you for a long time (if you do it right!), so it should be something you love. Get rid of the things that only halfway interest you and start narrowing your focus. Remember that youre ultimately out to solve a problemor improve someone elses life. Thats what creating a product is all about: solving a pain in the marketplace. The degree to which you can impact someone elses life for the better is directly related to your success. As you look at your final ideas, ask yourself: what is the pain thats out there? How am I going to solve it? When you can make the connection between a topic you love and a way to solve a problem or improve someones life, thats where youll hit pay dirt. What if you have a couple of ideas that you want to explore? We applaud your enthusiasm. For now, pick one to stick with. Well start taking it through the next process: the viability test.
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Step Five: Will It Float? Testing the Market for Your Idea
We promised you that you would get to use your left brain, so heres your chance. Once youve picked an idea that you want to move forward with, its a good idea to do some initial research to see whether theres a market for it. In Make, Market, Launch IT, we run our clients through an extremely rigorous research and beta testing process. Before you even get to that phase, there are a few simple things you can do to figure out quickly whether your idea has bestselling potential.
Do Your Keyword Research

There are a couple of great internet-based tools out there that will give you reliable data on 1) what keywords people are searching for and 2) how much people are spending to advertise on those keywords. Why is this important? If people are researching your topicand, more importantly, if people are spending money to advertise in that fieldthat means theres a viable market. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they start out is that theyre afraid to enter a market with competition. Dont be afraid of competition! You want to be in a market where other people are already selling. It means that there are people out there with enough interest in that topic to spend money. Keyword research will give you an idea of the strength of that market. Try sites like KeywordSpy.com and SpyFu.com. Both charge a small monthly fee, but its well worth it for the data.
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Check up on Your Competitors

Once you determine that there is a market for your idea, make Amazon.com your next stop. Search on your topic and browse the top five best-selling books in the field. Take a look at the Table of Contents for each. What content are they covering? Where are the overlaps between books? Where are the gaps (i.e. the opportunities)? What could you do better? What could you do differently? Dont forget to Google the topic as well and see who else is out there in your field. Knowing your competition will give you a good lay of the land. Its also a great chance to . . .
Keep an Eye out for Potential Joint Ventures

Especially if youre starting out without a list of your own, use this competitive research to see if you might be able to offer a new service to an existing market. For example, if youre passionate about chemical-free housecleaning solutions, think about reaching out to a new mothers group, who would really appreciate creating a healthy environment for their children. You may find someone whos willing to mail to their list on your behalf, in exchange for an affiliate commission. Or you may find a new business partner for a new project. As we said earlier, its the opportunities along the way that count. Dont overlook potential places where you could fit in to existing businesses. You might also consider
Investigate Lists Available for Purchase

If an organic joint venture isnt possible, brokers like lists.nextmark. com can help you buy a list of people with interests that align with your products. These kinds of brokerages can also give you a sense for the size of the available market, as keyword research does. Remember, a healthy market is the one you want to get into.
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Step Six: Put Your Stake in the Ground and GO!

Once you have a viable product idea that youre excited about, theres nothing left to do but take action! Create a timeline for yourself and make sure you do at least one item on that timeline within the next 15 minutes to seal in your intention to create your product. For additional guidance on the next steps to making, marketing and launching your product, visit MakeMarketLaunch.com. We want to leave you with one final thought. Once you start, stick with your idea. Give it time to mature and develop. See where it takes you. A lot of people expect initial wild success when they stumble upon what they are sure is their passion. Sometimes, it takes a little coaxing to get a new idea off the ground. Dont be impatientand dont get distracted by another shiny object that comes along. Give your new idea the benefit of your full attention and focus to help it reach its full potential. Patience and focus are two qualities that will always pay off in the long run.
Additional Resources
If you want to further explore uncovering your passion and direction in life, we recommend the following additional resources: The Artists Way, a Course in Recovering and Discovering Your Creative Self, a book by Julia Cameron. (Available at Amazon.com) The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction or Success, a book by Nicholas Lore. (Available at Amazon.com)
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Tur ning Passion into Products

PAM HENDRICKSON & MIKE KOENIGS

Turning Passion inTo ProducTs

Step One: Set the Stage for Discovery

You must be willing to get honest with yourself.

You must be willing to try something different.

You must be willing to abandon the critical part of your brain.

Step Two: Focus on You

Ask yourself the following questions:

12. Whats the quirkiest thing youve ever done?

13. Name one no-fail way to bring a smile to your face.

Try the following prompts. Sometimes, completing a sentence can

2. If I won the lottery, the first thing Id do is . . .

The second thing Id do is . . .

A typical day in my life would start with . . .

. . . and end with . . .

3. If I could switch places with anyone in the world, it would be . . .

4. If I knew with absolute certainty that I wouldnt fail, I would . . .

5. If things had been different for me, I would have been a . . .

Step Three: Get Some Perspective

Turn the Q&A on Other People

Ask Other People About YOu

Ask your trusted source:

2. What do you think is most important to me?

3. Whats my best quality?

4. Whats my worst quality?

5. In the course of our relationship, have I taught you anything?

6. What do you value most about our relationship?

Step Four: Look for Patterns

Give yourself some time.

Keep your eyes out for opportunities along the way.

Do Your Keyword Research

Check up on Your Competitors

Keep an Eye out for Potential Joint Ventures

Investigate Lists Available for Purchase

Step Six: Put Your Stake in the Ground and GO!

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