So you have a great idea... here are 5 ways to just *start.*💡

There is not one right way to build a business.

Howdy! With our editor out of office this week, we thought we’d share one of our most-read posts again, adapted and edited slightly for 2026.

This one’s for all the aspiring founders or folks out there with one of those ideas you just can’t seem to get out of your head… these 5 steps will help you cultivate a bias towards action and just start.

We’ll be back next week with more of the usual news from the movers and shakers in the consumer world! Until then, happy building. 💪

When I ran Mvnifest, our way was to start with a great product and let a business plan congeal around that.

This is also how my first business, GIR, was born.

I started with a fantastic product, built from scratch out of my kitchen, and I’ve always had a bias toward action over plan, so I just… went.

It might not have looked like a plan at the time… but if I had to break it out into steps, I can see the path more clearly. It’d look something like:

1. Google your idea first, make sure it doesn’t exist. Take a look at what’s similar, and then ask what’s my differentiator? 

2. Identify your target market. What problem am I trying to solve with this, and who needs it? You don’t want to be everything to everybody, but don’t marry yourself to the idea of a product no one needs. In other words, be committed to the problem you’re looking to solve, be flexible with how you get there. 

3. Then, start making phone calls…

   1. How are you going to get this thing designed and manufactured? Do you know anyone who could share some advice? Call ‘em. Search around the internet for factories or partners that fit your product. Call ‘em. One of my favorite resources here is thomasnet.com—they have hundreds of factories listed, and many of those have sales departments that will take your call and teach you a bunch about a specific product category or material in 10 minutes on the phone. Alibaba is also a great place to see tons of comparable or competitive products and get a sense of what’s out there. You can also go to a more full-stack resource (no shame, my business Mvnifest was one of those!) that can help end-to-end in bringing a product to life. Either way, come prepared to pepper the conversation with questions and learn as much as you can. The folks you talk to will help you set your bearings—and most of them are really delightful and go above and beyond to answer questions before ever asking for a dime.

   2. What are the elements that are super important to you from a features or values perspective? Who can help you think about those values—maybe push you toward or away from prioritizing some of them, or be a sounding board for how to accomplish what you’re trying to make? Try to ask for advice from people that won’t just tell you what you want to hear. Do you have an especially skeptical aunt or cousin? Call ‘em. (But also, don’t let anyone scare you away from pursuing an idea you believe in—you get to pick which advice you follow.)

Everything I did in the early days at GIR was determined through directional gut checks vs. a plan we adhered to closely. And I wouldn’t change that. However, there are a few things I’d recommend you consider:

4. You can and SHOULD plan for what your tolerance is financially. At the bare minimum, you need to think about how much money you’ll use to get started, and level-set expectations. It might make sense to build in some padding or buffer for your own sanity, and to make some more calls to be sure you’re grounding your estimates in something that approaches reality.

5. You need to consider how you’re reaching your customers. A marketing and sales strategy is one of the most important aspects of your entire business. I’m a big believer in an omnichannel sales strategy— it changed everything for us. “Build it and they will come” is really, really, really bad advice. They will not, unless you figure out a really sticky, compelling way to tell them to.

Getting ahead of these will save you a lot of time and money.

For GIR, the “business plan” (or our version of that blueprint) came after the first product, because we knew so much about our product, our customers, and ourselves.

Launching a consumer goods company can be daunting.

I built and scaled an 8-figure brand from my kitchen and we made a ton of mistakes before getting a lot of our wins.

When we talk to other founders, we realize they collectively share many of the same struggles. This is the meat and potatoes of my podcast, Commerce is Chaos! We have many, many episodes from founders who have started everything from medical device to sourdough businesses. There’s a lot you can learn for free just by listening.

But don’t forget that at the end of the day, you’re going to make some mistakes. Right now, the best you can do is, well, the best you can do: start by cultivating a bias for action and learning, and try to just put one foot in front of the other.

Before you know it, you’ll look back at those footsteps and see a— windy! Not always linear! But defined!— path to where you wanted to go.