“Never, ever go forward with an idea without actually testing it on the consumer first” Karen Bilimoria – Cobra Beer.
Supermarkets are hard to break into. Use someone who already has a relationship with them to get in the door. Or make your product provably superior in tests and be very persistent
First to market is often over rated. Many businesses are late to the market and beat established competitors. For example Facebook wiped the floor with Myspace. It is more important to have a superior offering and to execute well rather than be first.
People want something that is authentic and speaks to their actual desires. People don’t like products when it feels faked or manipulated. Teens for instance tend to be turned off by products that are overtly targeted at teens. The targeting needs to be about genuine value.
A product has to deliver on the promises of its communications.
100% commitment is easier than 98% commitment. At 98% you are still leaving options open. You are expending energy deciding on what to do. There is a tug of war on what to do. (eg on diet etc, watching youtube etc). There is decision fatigue. There is a difference between decision and decision fatigue. Instead you what to go 100% and you never have to think about it again. This frees up your energy.
The Intelligent Investor: Focus on long term future cash flows.
Starve distractions… starve compulsions.