In my work with companies, entrepreneurs and businesses of all stripes, here’s what I’ve found.
We mostly get stuck not because we don’t know the right answer, but because we haven’t begun to ask the right questions. Here’s a handy list of questions to ask before you bring your product, service or idea to market.

1. Why are we making this?
2. Why doesn’t this exist already?
3. Why us?
4. Why now?
5. Why do people need this product?
6. Why will people want this product?
7. Why will people pay for this?
8. Why will this make people do/feel/be, what they want to do/feel/be?
9. Why would people buy from our competitors?
10.Why will people cross the street to buy from us?
11.Why does this idea matter?

The truth is that often we don’t know the answer to all of the questions. Sometimes even after we’ve answered the questions we’ve just got to take our best guess and go.

Image by David Shackleford