Ever think of side business ideas you don't have time to implement?

It happens to me all the time.

But there's one in particular that's been rattling around in my head for a long time now, and there are only 2 ways to get it out:

  1. Hire someone to do it
  2. Tell the world about it and hope someone creates it so I can become a customer (I don't think I'd be the only one!)

Today, I'm going with option B — and also including the marketing plan I'd use to scale this idea from zero to 75 customers and over $20k in monthly revenue in 60ish days.

Please steal it. :)

Here we go!

Product Name: Stroke of Genius

The Problem It Solves:

Like many business owners / folks in leadership roles, I want to read more books to level myself up but struggle to make the time.

It's frustrating because I KNOW the ROI is high.

For example, our standard operating procedure for hiring has helped us hire A+ team members who have added millions of dollars in revenue to the company. That hiring SOP is based on countless ideas from the book Who by Geoff Smart and Randy Street (here are all my notes from it).

If I hadn't read that book, who knows how much longer it would have taken me to find and internalize the ideas that helped us find awesome team members?

That's the thought I have when I notice the stack of unread books in my office for the hundredth time of the week. There's gold in them hills.

The best part about this problem? I hear other people complain about it allllllll the time too!

How It Solves the Problem:

Stroke of Genius would be a subscription service where I turn the books you should be reading into actionable ideas you can do or delegate that 10x your monthly investment.

Here's how it works:

  • I find the books you should read
  • Read them for you
  • Pull out the 2-3 ideas (or applications of an idea) from the book that you should implement
  • Make it easy to implement them
  • Give you detailed notes
  • Give you an overview video (example of video/notes combo)
  • These are NOT book summaries
  • They're all about implementation and doing rather than just absorbing and retaining information
  • To join, there's an application process
  • Invite only after application
  • After you're accepted, there's an onboarding call to make sure you're in alignment with the goal of the program
  • If you ever cancel, you're out for life
  • The price is $295/month

In case it's not clear, this is NOT a book club.

It's NOT for someone who wants to read 100s of books so they can brag about being "well read" at parties.

Stroke of Genius is for the marketing leader who wants to read more, doesn't have time, and wants someone else to do the hard work so they can get all the benefit with 90% less effort.

They are looking for 1 idea, not 1,000—because they know they can't execute 1,000 ideas. They know the 1 right idea could 10x their investment and substantially impact their company and career.

Product Goals:

After the first book, I want 90% of clients to...

  • Say they got one idea that will 10x their first monthly fee
  • Give a raving fan testimonial
  • Refer 1 friend

Hit those goals and clients will never want to leave.

The Marketing Plan: Zero to 75 Customers and $20k+ Per Month in ~60 Days

Rolling out this product would be super fun. I'd do it in 4 phases…

Phase #1: Create a Waiting List

  • Build a simple landing page that mentions the product's philosophy, value proposition, and price
  • Tease it to current and past clients
  • Tease it on Twitter and any other social accounts w/ meaningful following
  • Tease it in an email to our list
  • Goal is to get 350 signups

Phase #2: First 25 Clients

  • Run a simple 5-day launch to the waiting list (modeled after this email sequence)
  • CTA in all emails goes to application
  • Touch on exclusivity/scarcity ("only accepting 25 clients")
  • Select the 25 applications closest to Best Fit Client profile
  • Only offer monthly pricing for this initial group (no annual option yet)
  • Do 1:1 onboarding call with every client
  • Learn everything you can about how they view the problem
  • Get feedback that can make the product even better

Phase #3: Perfect the Product

  • Focus on the first 25 clients for 45 days
  • Run no additional marketing during this time
  • All that matters is making sure 90% of clients hit the 3 product goals mentioned earlier
  • Adjust the product in real time based on feedback and learnings from implementation
  • Ask for referrals
  • Ask for testimonials
  • Start simple clients-only content plan that teases upcoming books and behind-the-scenes stuff (1 email every 2 weeks)

Phase #4: Add 50 More Clients

  • Create case studies based on client wins/testimonials
  • Promote case studies via email and social
  • Use these to grow waiting list
  • Update original 5-day launch material based on learnings from the first launch, product upgrades, etc.
  • Run second launch to waiting list (limited to 50 new spots)
  • Add annual pricing option (probably $2,950 or $3,245)
  • Let clients know that referrals will get priority in the application process

What's the Long Term Plan?

This type of business is tailor made for partnerships, and that would be my #1 growth channel for it going forward.

Anyone with a platform related to productivity, leadership, or entrepreneurship would have a high percentage of Best Fit Clients for this product in their audience.

Think about blogs, podcasts, products, online communities, YouTube channels, etc. that busy, successful, business-minded people consume/use and trust.

All of them would be great potential partners for webinars, guest posts, interviews, etc.

As for the content, I'd share the process we use to help people turn books into results without making time to read them. It would just need to be adjusted each time to fit the partner's audience and the partnership format.

Partnerships would be our #1 driver of leads for the wait list.

Over time, I'd turn the wait list into an email list with a simple content plan showcasing case studies, strategies, and takeaways based on everything we're doing for clients.

As the team around the product grows, we could handle a higher volume of new clients every month. This would allow for more promo opportunities:

  • I'd add a welcome offer email sequence for new subscribers to the email list.
     
  • We could do a monthly promo webinar (share some latest learnings from books, client results, offer attendees chance to apply)
     
  • 3 times per year, we'd run big promos to everyone on the list (in January, summer, and Black Friday)

So...can someone please steal this idea? :)

- Bryan

P.S. Want us to create a step-by-step plan like this for your business, and coach you through executing it?

We run a 1:1 coaching program that does exactly that—but imagine this plan with 10x the detail. Plus accountability. Plus feedback. :)

Book a Strategy Call with us here and we'll show you exactly how we'd grow your business.