She survived a devastating cyclone and discovered the inner resilience to pick up the pieces and reinvent her life. Then the doubt crept in.
There was a time when one had to travel long distances when wanting to study overseas. Yet, anyone can access and learn from anywhere in this digital age. This ability to readily access the world's knowledge has always fascinated me, and now I was to experience it with this business validation program.
When the day was here to start the online program, I was keen to open my email and click on the program link. That click ushered me into my first lesson. It was all about preparing the mind before taking on this entrepreneurial journey.
One thing that struck me immediately was the instructor's honesty. She said, "It is not going to be easy. I am not going to give you the impression that validating a business idea is going to be all exciting and chirpy. It's not going to be a fun thing to do."
She affirmed, saying, "Everything you do in this business validation program will challenge you to move out of your comfort zone, and sometimes you may not prefer to do them, but you will see that in the end, you will benefit from them. The results you get would be in direct proportion to the amount of effort you make."
Ultimately, she asked us students for our commitment to show up and do the work.
It was all about being intentional with your idea. Build a mini version of your idea into a product and then test it by selling it to potential customers. Is someone willing to pay for this mini version of the product? This approach would validate the feasibility of the business idea.
I went through one lesson after another and listened closely. I honored my commitment to show up and do the work.
The implementation came next, and that's when my struggle began.
The instructor asked the students to conduct market research on our idea. I must find and talk to ten people who would be my target audience. I posted a message in business groups asking people to help me by joining me on a market research call. I promised them I would help them with any questions about gaining customer confidence, an area of expertise I had from previous experience.
I felt encouraged when people from the US, UK, France, and India responded to this message. I prepared well with the questions and did everything the instructor asked me to do. I interacted with the people who responded to my message, set up a time with them, and began interviewing them.
The experience of meeting new people and talking about my business idea was so meaningful. Still, at the same time, I noticed that I was feeling like an imposter.
I was surprised when people said they got so much out of our conversation. I felt shy when they complimented me, and I doubted myself.
Why do I feel like an imposter, then?
I have done much work to get this far, and the business idea is valuable. Then why is it I am feeling this way?
The answer did not come. My internal struggle continued. I had a lot of negative self-talk. "It's not that important." "Why would anybody care?" "Everybody already knows this, so just leave it."
And then I heard another voice. Sure, I did not know if my idea was worth investing in, but how could I know the truth if I stopped? I knew in my heart that I must trust the process. I knew this was the right thing to do, so I decided to stick with it until the end.
I persevered through the remainder of the course and focused on the curriculum. I sought guidance and support by asking questions about the group's program material. This active participation kept me focused and constantly in touch with fellow participants and business coaches.
I worked hard to build a framework to help idea-stage entrepreneurs solve customer problems quickly before they made the product or service and sent it to market. I invited a few people from the business program to try the framework in their business. These interactions helped me collaborate with people who found my work relevant. It allowed me to share and test the solution I was building, and the feedback helped me refine and improve the solution.
Within two weeks, I saw that people who participated benefited from this new framework I shared with them. They quickly understood the value they provided with their product or service. They could empathize with and understand the needs of their potential customers. Every time I saw a person benefit from the work I was developing, I felt so much satisfaction. I took these interactions as a source of inspiration.
The method was shaping well, but the nagging and discouraging thoughts bothered me and made me doubtful. "Who would buy this?" Why would they?" There are better solutions out there. Just leave it."
I told myself that I could ignore these negative thoughts. I completed one month of the program successfully, and I must focus on the last phase of the validation process.
Deepti is a storyteller at heart, a lifelong lover of learning, and an advocate for empowering the visions of aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide. Deepti hails from Kolkata, India.
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Next week - Part 4, the conclusion in this monthlong series, Make Your Way.
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