Why many good ideas never reach the market
A good idea can be the start of a business, but it can also remain just that: an idea. Between imagining a product, a brand or a new service and getting someone to be willing to pay for it, there lies a path far more complex than it often appears.
The problem is not usually just about creativity. Many initiatives fail because they start execution too soon: a logo is designed, a website is developed, advertising is hired or even a product is manufactured before having checked whether a market opportunity actually exists.
That is precisely one of the starting points for Unicornio Azul, a project driven by Luis Chicharro that connects strategy, business development, product, international purchasing and marketing.
An idea is not yet a business
One of the most common mistakes when a new idea arises is to start with what is most visible. Choosing a name, designing an identity or creating an online shop quickly produces the feeling that the project is moving forward.
However, there are far more uncomfortable and also more important questions that exist beforehand.
Who is going to buy it? What problem does it solve? What alternatives exist? How much does it cost to produce? What margin is left after manufacturing, transport, distribution and marketing? Can it differentiate itself from what already exists?
Answering these questions before making significant investments can save time, money and decisions that are difficult to correct later.
Validate before investing
Validating an idea does not mean having all the answers from the very first moment. It means seeking enough evidence to decide if it is worth continuing to move forward.
An opportunity may seem attractive on paper and stop being so when the real costs are analysed. Similarly, an apparently simple product may require certifications, minimum manufacturing quantities or logistical conditions that completely change the initial project.
The opposite can also happen. An initially small idea can find a specific market segment where there is an underserved need.
The key is to use the information to make decisions before scaling.
SORIE: ordering the journey from idea to execution
To structure this journey, Unicornio Azul works with SORIE, a methodology based on five phases: Strategy, Opportunity, Reality, Innovation and Execution.
Strategy
The first step consists of clearly defining what one wants to achieve. It is not yet about deciding colours, campaigns or suppliers, but about understanding what business is intended to be built, for whom and with what objective.
Opportunity
The next phase analyses whether a real opportunity exists. Market, competition, customer behaviour, sales channels and trends can offer enough information to determine if it is worth continuing or if the proposal needs to be modified.
Reality
Next appears the operational reality. Costs, suppliers, manufacturing, regulation, minimum quantities, transport, margins and execution capacity.
This phase is especially important in physical product projects, where a decision made at the beginning can have relevant consequences when manufacturing begins.
Innovation
Once viability is verified, the moment arrives to seek a real difference. Innovation does not have to mean developing new technology. It can be in the product, the service, the business model, the packaging, the distribution, the customer experience or the very way of communicating it.
Execution
Finally, one must execute. A strategy only has value when it can be converted into decisions, actions and measurable results.
The objective of this final phase is to transform what until then was an approach into something that can actually reach the market, be tested and corrected.
Marketing cannot solve every problem
Another frequent error is to resort too soon to marketing, hoping that advertising will solve problems that have another origin.
If a product is poorly positioned, has a non-competitive price or does not respond to a clear need, increasing advertising investment can accelerate spending without resolving the root cause.
Marketing works best when it amplifies a proposal that has previously demonstrated it makes sense.
That is why strategy, product and commercialisation should be analysed jointly. Separating them completely can cause each part to work correctly independently and, nevertheless, the complete project not to.
From supplier to end customer
One of the difficulties of developing new businesses is that areas that normally work separately are involved.
The supplier worries about manufacturing. The purchasing department analyses costs. Marketing thinks about the consumer. Sales looks for revenue. Finance controls margins.
But a decision made in one of those areas can modify all the others.
A change of material can improve cost but reduce the perceived value. More sophisticated packaging can improve presentation and, at the same time, considerably increase the logistical cost. A pricing strategy can work in e-commerce and prove unfeasible in traditional distribution.
That is why it is important to analyse the complete project and not just each piece in isolation.
Learn before scaling
Execution also does not mean making a large investment from the first day.
In many cases, it is more reasonable to launch a first version, check the market reaction, obtain information and correct before increasing production, catalogue or advertising investment.
This way of working reduces risk and allows subsequent decisions to be based on actual market behaviour and not only on forecasts.
Scaling too soon can multiply both successes and errors.
Real solutions for extraordinary ideas
This approach is behind the philosophy of Unicornio Azul and the name SORIE itself: Real Solutions for Extraordinary Ideas.
The goal is not to eliminate creativity or turn every project into an endless analysis. It is just the opposite: ensuring that good ideas have a better chance of becoming real projects.
Because between having an idea and building a business there is a fundamental difference: the ability to verify, decide, execute and correct.
More information about strategy, product development, marketing and the SORIE methodology at www.unicornioazul.es.