As a mum with a business idea, you might be balancing family life, personal goals, and the excitement of starting something new. It can feel like it’s just way too much to handle if you’re hoping to take the plunge, right? But you really need to keep in mind, in order for this to truly work out, you’re going to have to at least look into testing your business idea on a small scale; honestly, this is a great way to dip your toes in the water without diving in headfirst.
Besides, this approach helps you understand if your idea has potential, and it allows you to make adjustments before fully committing. So, with that said, here’s how you can start small and test your business idea with confidence.
It’s All Going to Start with Market Research
Before you invest time and money, it’s important to understand your target market. Who are your potential customers? What do they need or want? So, it’s going to massively help if you just went ahead and spent some time researching online, joining relevant forums or social media groups, and talking to other mums. But is that all?
Well, it really depends on what industry you’re going into as well. But courses could really help too. For example, if you want to be a baker, such as special occasion cakes (weddings, birthdays, etc), then a cooking course or cake decorating course could work for that extra bit of research, and if you’re dreaming of going into the beauty industry, such as a salon, then maybe some lash courses could be a fantastic idea for this too, as it gives you a perspective on how to take care of customers, who could be your target customer, and how to properly do the job. But always start out with this before testing out anything.
Create a Minimal Viable Product
So, what exactly does this mean? Well, an MVP is a simplified version of your product or service that you can use to test the market. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be good enough to meet the basic needs of your customers. For instance, if you’re thinking about starting a homemade baby food business, you could start with a few simple recipes. It’s fairly simplistic, and you usually don’t need to spend too much on this either.
Offer Free Trials or Samples
Needless to say, one effective way to test your business idea is by offering a free trial or sample. This is particularly useful if your idea involves a product like skincare, homemade food, or educational materials for children. But why free? Well, if you’re going to give this out for free, you immediately break down any barriers for potential customers. Plus, this means that you’ll usually get some feedback too.
Host a Pop-Up Event
Hands down, this is one of the best ways to go. Hosting a small pop-up event is a fun and effective way to test your business idea. For the most part, people will do these at a market stall or a craft fair, but you could even look into a pop-up shop in your local community centre too.
But the whole point of these events is to provide direct interaction with potential customers. For example, if you’re thinking of starting a handmade jewellery business, you can showcase your pieces at a local fair. This face-to-face interaction helps you get immediate feedback and build a local customer base.