Hey, can I get your opinion?

[JesseLear]

Hey guys! I know I haven't been very active on here lately...I'm studying abroad in Europe and things have been a bit crazy over the past few months.

However, as you know, the entrepreneurial bug isn't something that a trip to Europe or anything else can squelch. While doing some brainstorming during marketing class (when I should have been listening to the prof), I came up with a pretty cool business idea.

It's been about a month since then and I haven't really told many people about my idea until now. I think I'm pretty safe at this point since the entire system is nearly completely set up and ready to launch just several weeks from now.

Anyway, the business is called the ImproveTogether System. I've been actively involved in the self-improvement scene for about 6 years now, and I've learned a lot about how we improve ourselves...as well as the obstacles that keep us from doing so as effectively as we would like.

The ImproveTogether System is my solution to those obstacles. I think it's going to be a huge success, but it's going to require a lot of stamina and hard work in the start.

But for right now, I need some feedback from you guys. Would you mind checking out my pre-launch blog and letting me know what you honestly think of the idea? Here's the link: http://www.improvetogether.wordpress.com . If you're a self-improvement-minded person, does it sound like something you would be willing to pay for? Can you see any problems I may run into during the set up or launch? And is there anything you'd do differently?

Check out my pre-launch blog for the complete low-down, and let me know what you think!

I'd really appreciate any compliments, suggestions, or constructive criticisms you may have.

Thanks!

Jesse

[TheDigerati]

My initial thoughts after reading the blog post:
Sounds interesting, small groups could work well.
Pricing will be what makes or breaks it. I have no idea what I'd pay for one of these courses but I know it will vary greatly upon the content.

IE. Social Improvement VS Organization VS Financial Improvement

Do you have any price points in your mind?

The other thing I am thinking is the reputation of the courses. I dont think this would be something I'd join from scratch. I would want testimonials, ratings, reviews from other sites/parties.

Goodluck

[JesseLear]

Hey, thanks for your comments and suggestions. I definitely agree...it's going to need to have a very credible appearance and some credible reviews and testimonials.

The price point I have in mind right now is $59.99 for the one month course, which includes the interactive email questionnaire system, weekly 1-hour small-group teleconference discussion, access by email to your teammates and leader, a hard copy of the book that corresponds with your chosen course, and the gift card reward if you feel you've met your 30 day objective.

Thanks again for your answer, I appreciate it.

Any more comments or suggestions from anyone?

[akula]

ok, sure...

some feed from my personal experience

in the beginning of their careers, founders tend to get hooked on motivational speakers and self improvement gurus. this leads to founders developing insight on the subject and they often end up feeling like experts. for this reason, I've seen a disproportionate number of young founders put aside their ambitions of starting a business, in favor of starting another business that tells people how to start businesses (or a derivative of thereof)....even some girls from my uni went this way.

the point: what you're thinking of doing is common. there are hundreds of motivational speakers and programs providers who ended up there because they got hooked on the stuff in the beginning of their careers. this is good for you because you have an ecosystem which will help you make your business a success (i.e. you're not gonna be some weird CS major sitting in a garage working on a widget that no one understands). For example, you can join http://www.speakersbureau.com/, network with your peers, learn from guys who've been on the circuit for a long time and make a career in this space....because the ecosystem exists, this opportunity might have something to it.

feedback: as far as "If you're a self-improvement-minded person, does it sound like something you would be willing to pay for? Can you see any problems I may run into during the set up or launch? And is there anything you'd do differently?" goes, the answers are no, yes and yes.

Jesse, you need to get significantly better at how you think about entrepreneurship. From your post here and your blog, I can tell you that you're not saying or showing anything indicative of a capable operator or a good business opportunity. It’s like as if you voluntarily refuse to do the right thing for reasons only known to your self.

I need you to start correcting these problems by not saying things like "I came up with a pretty cool business idea", and instead say things like "Having conducted numerous focus groups, I am ready to explore a questionable commercial opportunity".

Finally: As you bloody well ought to know, you can’t start a shop on the premise of “Jesse Lear is preparing to launch a system that will place you into a group of like-minded achievers, coach you, keep you accountable for daily improvement, and even reward you for turning the lessons you learn into real-life results.”

The only instance where I would tolerate you proceeding with working on the venture is if you said something like “Having spoken to 100 high school students, I’ve identified an important problem they tend to experience in their lives and I am commercializing a solution”

You must keep your pitches customer focused as opposed to solutions centric. You’re doing the later and it’s pissing me off.

[Santana]

Sounds good to me. I think it's quite interesting to see the result. I've bookmarked your website to see the progress.

Good luck and thanks for sharing with us.

[JesseLear]

Thanks for your responses guys...

Akula, two things:

1) Thanks for sharing your opinion...I really do appreciate it.
2) I just want to say that I feel really bad that you don't like the way I present myself. It makes me feel kinda insecure and inadequate just to think about it. I mean, knowing that you won't tolerate me proceeding with this project unless I change my proposal style...it makes me shake in my boots. Without your approval, I just don't have any hope of success. Know what I mean?

Come on, man. No hard feelings...I respect you as a businessman and wish you the best. But if my current lifestyle is any indication, the way I do business works for me. That's the only thing that matters.

While I do appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, I feel no need to defend myself against the kind of criticism you're giving.

Best wishes,

Jesse

[akula]

that's right jesse

you don't need to defend your self

I come from the position of telling entrepreneurs what to do

there is a predictible set of steps that founders should follow to get sucessful

some of these steps involve avoiding mistakes that you're making (i.e. developing solutions prior to formulating problems)

you're making mistakes which I have covered at least a thousand times

so, as always with entrepreneurs, I feel that I am banging my head against the wall

I hope you understand where I am coming from

I need you to stop making mistakes, follow the steps and get sucessful