I’m excited to announce a new series on the blog today: #theprep! The purpose of the series is simple. We want to help anyone and everyone who has an idea get it launched to the world. We’re going to take you through each step of launching your idea and guide you along the way. In the end you’ll have a new site launched as you get ready for #theclimb (the next step, a follow-up to #theprep.)
#theprep is an 8 Part Series
This series will walk you through a series of steps that get you on your way to launching your idea! Each section will include a blog post and video to go along with it. That way, no matter what way you want to learn, you can tune in however you want.
We want the sections to be short and concise. The reality is that today you can launch your idea in just a few days. And the important thing to remember is that launching quickly lets you validate your idea, test your assumptions and get a head start on the real journey of having a successful product or business.
By following these steps you can get launched in a short amount of time and head straight into #theclimb.
- How to execute your idea – Lesson 1
- Creating a vision around your idea. – Lesson 2
- Building a plan to execute your vision. – Lesson 3
- Lock in your identity. Name, brand and domain. – Lesson 4
- Selecting the right website platform. – Lesson 5 (Coming soon)
- Choosing the best WordPress theme. – Lesson 6 (Coming soon)
- Telling your story through content. – Lesson 7 (Coming soon)
- Going live with your idea. – Lesson 8 (Coming soon)
Start by watching this video and reading the 8 steps below.
1. Idea — The big dream.
You’ve got it. The slightest of an idea. Your “aha” moment. I get it, everyone has ideas, but this one? It’s yours. It’s different. We want to help make your idea a reality.
In this first part of the 8-part series, we break down what makes a good idea and whether or not your idea has “legs.” We’ll also cover vetting your idea, competitive analysis and the next steps for getting your idea off the ground.
2. Vision — Defining a place for this idea.
To most, an idea and a vision are one and the same. In my experience the two couldn’t be more different. An idea is typically something you want to do. A vision is a new place you want to create. You want to define what kind of world you want to create because of your idea. It’s meta, I get it, but you’ll understand what I’m saying when you get to this point.
3. Strategy — Building a plan to execute your vision.
I could go into two types of strategy here. One around launching your MVP and one around creating a long-term strategy for the business. For this series let’s just stay focused on getting your idea off the ground. We want you to get from idea to launch as soon as you can.
4. Identity — The name, brand and domain.
We’re cruising right along now. We’ve nailed the initial idea, vision and strategy on how we’ll get there. Now we just need lock down the identity. This will include the brand name of your product or service. Additionally, you’ll need a brand identity as well as a domain. 😉
5. Platform — WordPress-powered website.
Now we may be a little biased, seeing as though WordPress has been a part of MOJO since we launched in 2010, but that doesn’t mean WordPress isn’t the best platform to launch your idea on. In short, I would argue WordPress can accomplish V1 for any idea. Whether it’s launching an early prototype, online store, blog or recurring subscriptions, WordPress is the platform of choice.
We’ll walk you through setting up WordPress, with MOJO of course 😉 and getting you on your way to customizing the site around your idea and brand.
6. Design — Choosing the right WordPress Theme.
There are thousands of WordPress themes. Why should you choose a premium WordPress theme over a free one? Does it include a blog? A store? What about speed performance and code quality? We haven’t even talked about design.
We can easily go through what to look for when choosing the right WordPress theme. We’ll give you the tips and tricks you need to select the perfect WordPress theme.
7. Content — Tell your story.
This is one area we really don’t want you to overlook. Content is more powerful than most people think. It can make or break your site. On top of that, the way your content is on your site sets the tone of your brand, tells your story and defines how you sit alongside your competitors. On top of just making sure you’re crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s, we’ll also talk about how having a strong content marketing plan can set you up for success in the future.
8. Launch — Go live with your idea.
Yes! You’ve made it. We’ve got your idea, product or service all the way to V1. It’s FINALLY to the point where you’re ready to share it with the world! We definitely want to stop, high five and maybe even cheers with a drink. Honestly, you’ve beat 90% of people out in the world that are still sitting on ideas so hats off to you friend!
BONUS — Launch to Success #theclimb
We may as well as drop a little #teaser about another series we’re launching. #Theclimb is a new on-going series which will be a follow up from this mini series.
We’ve only just began. We took your idea to launch. Now the real work starts. You need to know how to get your idea out there. Drive traffic to your site. Find real paying customers. Sign up users on your email list. Understand your analytics. Increase your site’s conversion rate. And a million other things to have a successful company.
In #theclimb we’ll launch a brand new video show around what it takes to become successful with your idea. It’s an on-going climb over new obstacles and we want to give you the tools you need to succeed.
The best part?
It will all be free. Stay tuned…
Going live with your idea. — #theprep Lesson 8
Telling Your Story Through Content. — #theprep Lesson 7
Design — Lesson 6 of #theprep
Website Platform. — Lesson 5 of #theprep
Lesson 4 of #theprep: Lock in your identity–name, brand and domain.
Building a strategy to execute your vision. — Lesson 3 of #theprep
Creating a vision around your idea. — Lesson 2 of #theprep
