When it comes to business, there’s one thing you can’t outsource—your ability to think critically. Sure, you can hire experts for your legal, financial, or health needs, but your ideas, your vision, and the decision-making process are yours alone. This is especially true in entrepreneurship, where it’s easy to get stuck in the planning phase. But the real learning and growth happen when you take action and engage with the world outside your head.

The Importance of Taking Action and Pitching Your Ideas

As an entrepreneur, it’s natural to believe that you have the best idea in the world. But the truth is, until your idea is tested in the real world—until it meets the resistance of customers with different needs, desires, and expectations—you don’t truly know if it will work. This is where pitching your ideas becomes essential. However, pitching isn’t just a simple “yes” or “no” scenario. The most valuable feedback often comes in the form of questions and objections, helping you refine your ideas and make necessary pivots.

One of the biggest challenges for many entrepreneurs—especially newer ones—is the fear of direct communication. In a world dominated by digital communication—emails, text messages, social media—it’s easy to lose touch with the art of face-to-face conversation. However, real-world interaction is crucial. Without it, you’ll never fully understand whether your product or service truly meets your customers' needs.

Instead of waiting for perfection, try bringing your idea or product to market in its most basic form—a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about starting a conversation, getting feedback, and learning what works and what doesn’t. Even if potential customers don’t show immediate interest, their feedback is priceless and will guide your next steps.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about having a good idea; it’s about being willing to adapt, listen, and pivot when necessary. Even with years of experience and success behind you, challenges will always arise. The key is how you respond to them. Reflecting on past experiences, it's clear that the most successful ventures were not born from perfect ideas, but from the willingness to act, to fail, and to adjust.

So, if you're an aspiring entrepreneur or just looking to launch a new product or service, take the first step. Talk to people, get feedback, and embrace the process of refinement. Your ideas may not be perfect at first, but the more you put them out there, the closer you get to creating something truly successful.

Navigating the Complexities of Manufacturing and Product Development

Manufacturing often presents a love-hate relationship for entrepreneurs. On one hand, it offers incredible flexibility and the potential to bring a concept to life quickly. There’s an unmatched thrill in creating a physical product, refining it, and seeing it come to fruition. However, it’s also a challenging, complex field—particularly when dealing with physical products and all their moving parts.

The appeal of digital products—like those in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry—can be tempting. Digital products allow you to create once and scale endlessly without the hassle of manufacturing logistics. You don’t have to worry about sourcing materials, production delays, or inventory management. However, there’s something deeply satisfying about taking an idea and turning it into a prototype in hours. The ability to test, tweak, and iterate quickly in manufacturing is a huge advantage.

In the past, product creation in the manufacturing world wasn’t as quick. The process involved a slower pace, requiring more time and resources for prototyping and adjustments. But the introduction of faster manufacturing technologies has revolutionized the industry, allowing for quicker turnarounds and faster testing of products.

From B2B to Consumer Products

Many businesses begin in the business-to-business (B2B) world, where products aren’t always consumer-facing. For example, a company may start by producing liners for large shipping containers used in industries like waste management. These durable products were essential but not necessarily consumer-centric. However, as the business grows and evolves, many entrepreneurs look to shift toward the consumer market—creating products that meet personal needs or “scratch an itch” in a new way.

This shift can be driven by a desire for innovation and the opportunity to test new products in a marketplace like Amazon. In 2014, Amazon offered an incredible platform for testing consumer products. By improving on existing products and identifying gaps in the market using tools like Google’s keyword search and Amazon’s marketplace, entrepreneurs could quickly launch better versions of products people were already searching for. Better could mean better quality, design, features, or price point—whatever it took to stand out.

The Power of Amazon for Product Testing

One of the key advantages of Amazon is the ability to list products and immediately see if they sell. Unlike traditional retail, where buyers hold the power, Amazon gives direct access to consumers. This allows entrepreneurs to test their products with low risk, without waiting for months of buyer decisions.

However, Amazon has evolved, and it’s become more challenging to stand out amid the noise. What was once a great platform for entrepreneurs to get started has become saturated. Despite these changes, it still provides valuable insights into consumer preferences, helping entrepreneurs test and refine their products.

The Art of the Pitch

Pitching products—whether to consumers, investors, or potential partners—requires understanding human psychology. In the past, traditional pitches were face-to-face conversations. Today’s pitches often rely on compelling descriptions, visuals, and clear value propositions. Because customers can’t touch or feel a product before purchasing it online, creating a compelling narrative that triggers desire is key.

Successful entrepreneurs understand that people are always looking for products that fulfill a need or solve a problem. If you can tap into that basic human desire, you’re on the right track.

Surprises and Unexpected Wins

Not every product takes off as expected. Some surprise you by becoming huge successes out of nowhere. For example, an influencer—a popular tech YouTuber—featured a product in a review, and sales skyrocketed. The product had been selling well already, but after the review, its popularity exploded. This illustrates the power of influencer marketing when it aligns with the right product and audience.

Another surprise came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when home storage solutions saw a surge in demand. A product designed to store bikes in garages became a hot commodity as more people bought bikes and sought ways to organize their homes. Even though this wasn’t anticipated, it proved to be a huge opportunity.

Embracing Risk and Testing Ideas

The key to success in manufacturing and product development is embracing risk and testing ideas in the market. Entrepreneurs who succeed are often those who don’t wait for the perfect moment. They dive in, adapt as they go, and aren’t afraid to fail. By launching small batches, gathering feedback, and tweaking products accordingly, entrepreneurs can move forward with confidence.

Manufacturing and product development are dynamic processes full of unexpected challenges. But for those willing to embrace the complexity and risk, the rewards can be enormous. The key is to stay nimble, keep testing, and listen to the market.

Persistence and Adaptability: The Entrepreneur's Secret Weapons

The path to entrepreneurial success is rarely smooth. Every entrepreneur faces rejection, setbacks, and moments when things don’t go as planned. The key to overcoming these challenges is persistence. It’s about learning from failure, embracing the unexpected, and pivoting when necessary.

Success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a result of continuous effort, learning, and the willingness to push through difficult times. And in today’s world, success is often linked to building a personal brand, leveraging partnerships, and adapting to new trends.

Entrepreneurship requires more than just ideas—it requires grit, persistence, and a willingness to collaborate and evolve. With the right mindset, even the most challenging times can lead to unexpected opportunities and, ultimately, success.