Does it have to be unique?

[JoshuaH]

On muse creation, I've always hoped that my muse would be grand and one of a kind. Do you think this is even necessary?

I believe someone stated that all you need is a good product with good marketing, as opposed to a great product. (I don't know where that post is now.)

If it's already been done, then won't people just buy that other product?

Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this...

[Talon]

Muse or other ways for positive cash flow.
For those that invest the book The 25% cash machine provides a list of stocks that pay monthly dividends CNE, and HTE are the ones I am following from that book.
Product also may be real estate. Prior to reading the 4-hour workweek I had started collecting rental units. As long as you can purchase with a positive cash flow this muse can be profitable.
The observation here is products are great if you have one if not there are other ideas that are profitable.

[darrin365]

Joshua,

You don't have to have a totally unique (as in no one else makes anything like it) product. Just a unique way of presenting it to people. There were pizza delivery places before Domino's, but they came up with the 30-minute delivery. Hertz was a bigger and better tent-a-car agency than Avis, so Avis told people, "Use us. We're #2, so we try harder." The iPod wasn't the portable mp3 players, but it was sleek and Apple offered iTunes which integrated nicely.

I hope that helps.

Darrin

[HalfSwede]

Originally Posted by JoshuaH

On muse creation, I've always hoped that my muse would be grand and one of a kind. Do you think this is even necessary?

If it's already been done, then won't people just buy that other product?

Hello Joshua:

Two points...
First, I concur with darrin365. Quick story: my main muse sells gift certificates that can be used at spas and B&Bs across the U.S. The idea came from another web site that sells gift certs that can be used at spas only. I first heard about this other company when I was living in southern NJ, which is where the other company was based (which was about 8 years ago). At the time, I was thinking my idea (muse) had to be unique. I actually went to the web developer that developed the other company's web site, had him sign a non-disclosure, and explained my idea. We talked for about 1-1/2 hours, after which, he told me he wouldn't have talked that long if he didn't think it was a good idea. I never acted on the idea however, because I didn't have enough $$ to get the site developed. Fast forward 7 years: I'm talking to a friend/coach about the idea, and to make a long story short, finally decided that I didn't have to reinvent the wheel. There is a verse in the Bible that says "there is nothing new under the sun." That was my "aha!" moment. So I decided to take the spa gift certificate idea and "enhance" it, make it unique, by adding B&Bs, golf courses, and restaurants. The uniqueness of my idea is that people could get away for a little trip, stay at a B&B, go get a massage if they wanted, maybe play a round of golf, etc. The muse is a work in progress (only a few golf courses and restaurants at this point), but most everyone we show it to loves the idea...especially around Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc., that the person receiving the gift certificate has choices. In other words, instead of locking them into going to a spa, they can choose how they want to use the gift cert (spa?, B&B?, etc.).

Second point: If you are selling something on the Internet, there are many, many, many people who have never heard of your close competitors. When we were building our GiftEscapes.com web site, I would ask people if they had ever heard of companyX.com or companyY.com. Only once had someone heard of companyX...or maybe it was companyY. Selling on the Internet levels the playing field. As Tim mention in his book, just implement some things that make you "look big" (such as an automated telephone attendant).

Hope the thoughts help.

Cheers!

[searstower]

On muse creation, I've always hoped that my muse would be grand and one of a kind. Do you think this is even necessary?

I believe someone stated that all you need is a good product with good marketing, as opposed to a great product. (I don't know where that post is now.)

Joshua,
I think you are quoting one of my posts!

Have a unique and one of a kind muse actually has some big potential downsides, especially on the internet. If it's so unique, how are people going to find you? People can't search for what they want unless they know what they are looking for.

The key really is accessibility for your market. While other companies may offer the same product, your customers just want the one that is easiest for them.

Also remember, it's much more difficult to build a muse from the ground up!

Investigate your market a bit, copy the top producers, improve your product so it's more accessible to your customer's than the competition's and run with it.

Enjoy!
Rebecca

[darrin365]

Great advice. I've got a friend named Dan Miller who is a career coach. He frequently says you just need to do something 10% better than what's available in the marketplace and you can succeed.

[Vagabond]

i agree with searstower and darrin...

the way im going about my muse (well actually its more of a business than a muse since im writing a business plan and going a little bit against Tim Ferriss's reco) is trying to meet a need i believe is out there in a different way but through the same channels theyd use to satisfy their need. i.e., i will look to use google keywords. one piece of advice i took from tim is inventing a new category to compete in so i can be "the first and only..."

i'll share all my muse info once my website is up and everything is ready to go for some feedback..

[JoshuaH]

Thanks for all your input guys, I feel much better about muse creation now. You'll be hearing from me later...