The sun breaks through your window and you pry open your bloodshot eyes. It wasn’t an all-nighter but it was close.
Is it Monday already? Worry. Anxiety. What should you do next? Should you submit your patent application or work on your prototype? Are you really cut out for this? If we don’t make that sale, we won’t be able to pay the mortgage. How should you manufacture this thing? Can you do it yourself or should you try for a company overseas? Your brain races.
Frantically, you get ready and head to work. After piling through hundreds of emails and fighting fires until 6, you work a little on your prototype, a little on you presentation slides, and a little on calling prospective clients…all at the same time. After all, if you waste a free minute you feel like you will never make that next sale. Yet, you never seem to complete anything. After a full day of bouncing around, it’s nearly midnight. At last, you arrive back home, late at night once again and without accomplishing anything you wanted to do. You didn’t see your family, eat a solid meal, or relax all day.
You are exhausted.
Is this a familiar story? These are all typical worries of solo inventors and startups, and yes, sometimes even folks at larger companies. These are perfectly normal emotions and thoughts to have, but they don’t need to be. There are better ways.
Now, picture yourself waking up to a warm sun peering over the horizon. You slept great knowing that you have a plan of attack for the week.
You swing your feet over the bed, get ready for the day, and check out your To Do list you spoke to your Product Develop Coach about yesterday. It’s time to get started. You feel productive, efficient, and best of all, in control. You focus on one thing at a time, check it off your list, and move on to the next.
A question comes up during the day and you aren’t sure what to do. Not a problem. You shoot off a quick email to your coach and within a few hours you have a response. Easy as cake.
You work a little late, but not because you feel like you have to, but because you feel energized. You stay because you want to and you are in control, not because your business controls you. A little before 6PM you head home, eat with your family, and even have a little time to relax in front of the TV. You check email briefly one last time and then head to bed for a good night’s sleep.
This is what a Product Development (PD) Coach can do for you.
What the @#$% is a Product Development Coach?
At its most basic level, a Product Development Coach is a partner. They are there for the highs and lows of the business cycle and can help you identify the best path forward. They are someone who knows how development works, not just how it should work, and can guide you through it so that you come out the other end without losing a limb. What makes the most sense with your time and resources? Where can you make the most bang for your buck? These are not easy questions to answer and having a trusted, experienced person to talk with and mentor you as you go can be priceless.
A PD Coach is a shoulder to cry on. They are reassuring and help you through the stress of starting and running a new business, or developing and licensing a new product idea. PD Coaches can work with all classes of developers, from solo inventors like a doctor with a great idea for a new medical product, to small businesses struggling to get their product out the door and onto store shelves.
What Exactly Does a Product Development Coach Do?
First and foremost, a PD Coach is a paid, third-party mentor, who can objectively look at the information you present and give you knowledgeable guidance about how to proceed. Ideally, you should meet with your PD coach on a regular basis, often once per week for about thirty minutes. They will help you understand what is needed at that stage of the Product Development cycle. After talking with them, you should have an actionable list that you understand. Each item should be a bite-sized chunk of work that you feel confident you can handle, or at least quickly learn how to on your own.
While no coach could possibly know everything, they can guide you to an answer for most of your questions. And for those questions that they can’t, a good PD Coach can point you to specialists who can. Furthermore, a good PD Coach gives you the tools you need to succeed. What, why and how do you do a Design of Experiments? What are the best techniques for Brainstorming or for building team camaraderie? They should provide you with templates for down selecting product concepts, organizational tools, and more.
Why Should I Hire a PD Coach?
Hiring a PD Coach is not an easy decision. Competition for resources (employees, time, cash, etc.) can be fierce, especially in those early stages of product development. That is why you need to know why (and when) you should hire a PD Coach.
PD Coaches are most valuable when the learning curve can be steep, resulting in you proceeding cheaper and faster than you could on your own. Early-stage activities are often murky and a perfect fit for a PD Coach. It can sometimes take someone who has been there before to navigate through the fog. Yes, you might find your way on your own, but at what cost? Running aground can be fatal.
Similarly, if an individual or team is new to making and launching or licensing products, a PD Coach can be an invaluable asset and a source of cheap education for your team. Individuals trying to break into an unfamiliar industry can often be taken advantage of and spend thousands of dollars unnecessarily.
In addition, sometimes there are minor roadblocks that leave you feeling stuck. A good coach can fix your flat and get you back on the road toward your product launch. Sometimes, you just need someone to bounce ideas off of in order to proceed. A PD Coach can provide a fresh set of eyes and help keep you out of the weeds.
Finally, a PD Coach serves as a mentor. They provide an asset that can point out areas you may have missed, or a better, time-tested way of doing things.
What Should I Look for in A PD Coach?
Your Product Development Coach should have been around the block. While no one person can have a perfect record of experience, they should have a deep knowledge and expertise in how to develop products. They should not have only launched one or two products, but tens or hundreds of them!
In addition, it is a huge bonus if your coach is still involved with launching and licensing products of their own. By being currently involved in the product development world, your coach is sure to be up to date on the latest trends and best practices. This up-to-date, real-world experience is crucial to keeping things rolling smoothly. As a word of caution, your coach should remain as a third-party observer. In other words, they shouldn’t be looking for a part of your company or a stake in your invention. They are a coach. A mentor. And that is all.
Furthermore, your coach should be affordable and flexible. There are a number of companies out there designed to maximize their own profit at the peril of inventors and startups looking to launch their great idea. Proceed carefully if your potential Coach is asking for a large, upfront fee to even speak with you. In addition, questions come up quickly and at odd times during the day. You can’t always wait to get them answered at your weekly meeting. As such, your PD Coach should be available to answer these questions as needed. While an immediate response is not always possible, you should at least have a way to contact them outside of your weekly meeting, and they should be responsive enough to be valuable to you. This can vary from business to business, so be sure to discuss this with your coach!
The Importance of a Flight Plan
You must begin with the end in mind. Otherwise, how else will you know you’ve arrived at your goal? Your Product Development Coach should work closely with you to develop a plan of action from Day 1. What is your end goal? What are the big milestones for getting there? What are the intermediate steps, training, and equipment you should consider? By having a plan, you can be more efficient, thus reducing your burn rate and getting you to your goals faster and with more confidence.
Conclusion
Having a Product Development Coach can supercharge your product development. They can provide invaluable insight, training, and mentorship to your new team. A PD Coach can point out flaws and holes in your Business Plan and Product Development Processes that you may not see, thus averting a potential disaster. They are a guide and will help you navigate the often treacherous waters that make up Product Development. Without a doubt, a Product Development Coach is a worthwhile investment in you and your company’s future.
Please provide your comments and let us know how a Product Development Coach has helped you!
Need some product Development Coaching of your own? Check out Flying Pig Designs and learn more about how we can make your product idea take flight.