It’s not about you doc…
Inspiration hits at the strangest times and in the weirdest places. If Back to the Future has taught us anything, it’s that the greatest ideas can come when you slip off the toilet and bang your head while hanging a clock. If we all invested the time and energy into creating every idea that came to us we’d likely find ourselves like Marty McFly narrowly jumping ship as our brain child gets demolished by an oncoming train. All too often we fall in love with an idea that we want to create and we forget the one underlying truth about successfully creating and selling a product in the open market- it’s not about you.
That’s not to say that if you like a product idea that nobody else will like it too. But how many people will be interested in buying your idea? The DeLorean time machine was a passion project, but can you imagine the kind of mayhem that would have ensued had it been mass produced?! Likewise you have to ask yourself if you want this product for yourself so you can use it, or do you really want to take on building a business, manufacturing your product and marketing it for a profit?
In this week’s episode of The Variable, we talk with Patty Post about her experience building Checkable Medical and developing her innovative at-home strep test kit. Patty got the idea after many frustrating trips to the doctor’s office with a sick kid. Nearly 80% of the time they would go to the office to test her kids for strep it would come back negative. If you haven’t had the pleasure of calling out of work to take a sick child to the doctor’s office just to hear that it’s viral and there’s nothing that you can do besides wait it out, let’s just say… it’s infuriating.
Lucky for Patty, her product idea DOES impact a very big audience and will likely do well when it’s finally gone public in the marketplace. BUT, she didn’t make any assumptions. You can hear more about the hoops she went through to validate her idea and confirm that it WILL have demand in the marketplace on the podcast.
So the next time you get hit with inspiration in the shower, on the toilet, or on your drive to work. Write it down and remember-if you’re actually going to build a business off of your idea, it can’t be about you. AND, it can’t be about your close friends that would buy it from you. People want to support their peers, so unless you plan on only manufacturing enough product to supply your immediate circle of friends… you’re gonna have to get in touch with people who aren’t emotionally invested in you and your ideas for feedback. Take some advise from Patty on how to do that. Once you’ve confirmed that people like your product, then by all means give it gas and make it happen at 88 miles per hour!
About Patty Post
Patty Post is a serial-entrepreneur, a goal-getter, and a full-time mom. She has had the opportunity to work in various sales/management positions with well-known companies like UPS and Stryker Neruo, Spine and ENT. Her most recent noteworthy accomplishment was starting a medical device company called Checkable Medical.
As a parent and a patient, founder and CEO, Patty was frustrated with the status quo of going to the clinic to get checked for an infection. She imagined an at-home diagnostic that would confirm an infection that allowed her and her loved ones to receive a treatment plan from a virtual care provider. She couldn't find a solution so she is building one with a team of healthcare and technology experts.
Checkable Medical's mission is to empower individuals to make clinical, evidence-based decisions from the comfort of their homes. Checkable Medical is focused on delivering innovative at-home diagnostic testing to employers and individuals.
Without having to go to the doctor, their diagnostic tests paired with a digital platform will allow individuals and caregivers to administer their own tests for infectious diseases thus reducing the burden on our healthcare system and minimizing exposure to the population.
Learn more about Patty and Checkable Medical at www.checkablemedical.com