Just thinking about creating a new product raises so many questions. What kind of product could you create? How would you make it? How would you sell it?

These are questions that made me stumble when I was starting out.

I’ve spent more than 30 years creating new products for all sorts of companies. I’ve written and designed everything from print books to craft kits. But way back when I was starting out, I was completely overwhelmed by the process of product creation. It seemed so complex and confusing!

But with luck and persistence, and a whole lot of help from more experienced writers and designers, I learned that there were basic steps to the process of creating a product.

I also learned that if I took the first steps, one by one, and actually worked on them, instead of just reading  about them, I was soon fully involved in creating a product!

These are the baby steps my mentors taught me to follow in planning the creation of a product:

1.Define your target. Know exactly whom it is you want to sell to.

2.Research your target. What age are they? Where do they live? What sort of products are they already buying? What is their average expendable income?

3.Make a list of items they are already known to purchase and enjoy.

4.Make a list of ways you could improve some of these products, perhaps by adding features, making it easier to use, simplifying it or explaining it better.

5.Make a list of resources you have available to you, ranging from your own personal experience and knowledge, to personal contacts you can call on, suppliers you know of, and anyone and anything else that may be valuable to you when you’re working on a product for this target market.

6.Considering the resources you have available, choose ONE item from the list of ways you could improve an already-existing product. Commit yourself to focusing all your attention on working out that one, single product idea.

Look around the room you’re in right now. Everything you see before you, every book and paper and pen, the computer you’re using, the chair you’re sitting on, the clothes you’re wearing, everything  is a product that began with these first steps.

By gathering pertinent information, brainstorming a number of product ideas and then committing to the ONE idea you have the time, the resources and the personal interest to develop, you’ve already completed the most important steps on the path to creating your own product.

Remember, using material and resources you’ve already created for your business is a great way to make your first product. If you’ve written a white paper or report, given a speech or taught a class, you already have the content you need for an ebook, a workbook, even a class presented as an audio or video!

If you want to spread your creative wings and make products to market on the web, my book, "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products"will inspire you to be your most creative, successful  self by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash.

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  Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine, http://www.theinternetwizards.com and The Internet Wizards Blog at to teach self-employed people and small businesses owners how to leverage the internet for advertising, marketing and promoting their business. To stay in touch with her, type your name and email into the subscriber box in the upper right corner of this page.

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I do believe one of the stumbling blocks people run up against is this—that most of the information on the topic of product creation is written by and for “internet marketers.” That is, it’s written by people that only make products that teach internet marketing. And it’s sold to people that can’t think of anything to make except more products teaching internet marketing.

The proliferation of this type of material can make it seem that all you can make and sell are ebooks, audios and software on internet marketing.

But the truth is that the internet makes it possible to make and sell an almost unlimited number of products. There are literally no limits! And great ideas for products you can make and sell are always at hand.

This week, on my local news channel, I saw a couple from a neighboring county showing off a product they developed that was inspired by swine flu. Steve and Cristie Aaron, the parents of triplets, were worried that the attention their triplets attract –along with the inevitable cheek pinching and handholding—could pass on swine flu germs to their babies. But they found themselves reluctant to ask people, out loud, not to touch the tots.

Their idea—a sign that said it for them. They developed and produced a waterproof tag that says, “Wash Hands Before Touching Baby.”

The business, Hands Off Baby, sells through their own web site (http://www.handsoffbaby.com/index.html ) as well as through the gift shops of two dozen hospitals.

The development of this product didn’t require any complex keyword research with expensive software. All it required was the realization that the solution to the Aaron’s problem could be the solution to many people’s problems. In other words, they followed the dictum of good business—identify a problem and sell a solution.

Their great ideas was right at hand—and that hand was potentially harmful to their babies. Rather than just worry, they took action.

There are many businesses that make it possible to produce and market your own physical products entirely on the internet. And there are many target markets, from anxious parents to pet owners to hobbiests, that share your problems and would buy your solution. I introduce many of these businesses in my book,  "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products"" It will inspire you to be your most creative, successful self  by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash.

Visit http://www.tapintotrends.com to learn how you can get started Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Products!

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Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine for people, especially small business owners,  that want to create their own products and market on the internet. To join in her adventures, add your email address to the subscriber box in the upper right corner.

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Blogs that collect and correlate information can be a great resource for product makers. Such a blog can often point you toward a topic or market you wouldn’t otherwise think of. By watching these posts, you can end up with ideas for new products and all sorts of resources to get you started.

Here’s an example of what I mean. The blog Boing Boing, which calls itself “a directory of wonderful things,” sends out a constant stream of weird, wild and wonderful news items. And then it bundles those posts with related posts from around the web, like this:

“BBG dedicated a series of posts to explore various aspects, gear, and ideas specific "climbing." Here’s what went down:• We examined three types of artificial rock climbing walls. • Want to climb a tree, like, for real? Here’s the pro gear you need. • Want to climb a mountain instead? Go for this gear. • HOWTO: overcome common climbing phobias. • We tested an ultra-light pack stove from Primus. • We revisited the DIY ice mountain constructed in Alaska. • What’s the best food to take on a climbing/camping expedition? We tried to find out. • We reviewed three pairs of climbing shoes. Which ones ruled? Also at BBG:(The original post is here: http://www.boingboing.net/2009/07/29/recently-at-bbg-6.html )

A quick trip to Google shows that there’s quite a large audience for advice and information on rock climbing, and Boing Boing’s post points out all sorts of relevant topics and chapters for a guidebook.

I’m not a rock climber, more of a fence sitter, so I’d never have thought of this market on my own. But seeing this blog post at Boing Boing inspired some creative thinking. It made me stop, at least for a moment, and think about how easy it would be to pull together a guidebook complete with product reviews and interviews with experts.

When you’re really focused on creating your own products, creative product ideas are everywhere!

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Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine for people that want to be more creative, make their own products and market on the internet. Type your email address into the subscribe box in the upper right of this page to join for FREE! If you’re a writer, self-employed professional, small business owner or otherwise have specialized knowledge, you already have the basis of a great internet business. Join me and begin the adventure!

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The sales copy on the web site says, "The Sonogram Photo Cuff Links feature your very own bun in the oven. Send us your own sonogram photos and become a cuff link designer instantly."

"Up to 2 different images can be used. This is a truly unique gift and amazingly personal. There is no better way to surprise a first time Dad or to show off that you are a proud to-be parent."

You can see it here:http://www.cufflinks.com/sonogram-photo-screen-cufflinks.html

What a wonderful idea! Especially because a creative person could take it in all sorts of directions to make their own products.

With the manufacture-on-demand services listed in my book "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Products," you could make custom t-shirts with sonograms, custom tote bags, porcelain tiles or plates for display and so much more! You could even enhance the sonograms by adding colors or messages as I did in the illustration for this article.

Because each item is a truly one-of-a-kind creation made personally for the baby’s family, you can set the price higher than you would for a design available to anyone. And because the human race is always adding new members, there is always a demand for personal baby items, even in a tight economy.

How would you sell sonogram-imprinted products?

By putting up a one-page web site or blog and promoting it with AdSense or other pay-per-click advertising, by posting in forums frequented by expectant parents or any of the other methods mentioned in my book. Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High Profit Productsteaches my system for researching trends, creating products that reflect those trends and selling them on the internet. The number of things you can make through online services and sell through internet marketing is truly unlimited.

And once you get started, you’ll see product ideas are everywhere—even in sonograms!

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Bonnie Boots publishes The Internet Wizards Magazine for people, especially small business owners, that want to be more creative, make their own products and market on the internet. To join her adventures, add your email to the subscriber box in the upper right hand corner of this page.

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No, they don’t want a sex change. They want my address. I live in Tampa Bay, host to Super Bowl XLIII. The game takes place on February 1st, and I have a front row seat on the party that started last weekend and is still going strong.

Celebrity players, big shot sports reporters, Playboy bunnies and celebrities from Paris Hilton to John Travolta are all over town. Even Keith Olbermann celebrated his birthday here. There are so many media crews in town I’m surprised there’s anyone left to broadcast the weather in Fargo, North Dakota.

It is, in short, mayhem. And within that mayhem I see a million opportunities for product creation.

Sports franchises are fiercely protective of their trademark rights. So if, for example, I were to video celebrity football players getting drunk with the Playboy bunnies and sell it as "Super Bowl Gone Wild!" they would sue me. Big time.

But all around me are endless other opportunities for making products and profits without invoking the wrath of the NFL.

For example, this morning the local news showed divers checking the moorings around the marinas. Luxury yachts from all around the world, including a floating continent called The World, are docking here for the festivities. The divers are double-checking for anything that could threaten the security of those ships and their passengers.

No doubt there are boating enthusiasts all over the world that would pay for a video of the magnificent ships sitting almost outside my window. There are yachting enthusiasts that would pay for interviews with the passengers aboard the ships–and I know from past events, those passengers are frequently quite willing to chat about the pleasures of their lifestyle.

There are businesses that would pay for interviews and how-to tips from the people providing security for this high-profile event.

There are entrepreneurs that would pay for interviews with business people explaining how they negotiated rights to license and sell Super Bowl goods.

There are chefs and restaurant owners that would pay for how-tos on catering huge celebrity parties.

The possibilities go on and on. All over town, all sorts of businesses are providing all sorts of services under extraordinary circumstances.  What they provide, how they got contracts, what they charge, what the problems are and how they manage it are of huge interest to businesses all over the world.

No matter where you live, there are  products ideas  right outside your door. You may not be watching the Super Bowl take place in your back yard, but you do have a ringside seat at whatever is unique to your neck of the woods. Whether it’s making maple syrup candy in Vermont or growing ornamental cactus in Arizona, there are businesses and activities unique to your area that people living elsewhere will pay to learn about.

Creating products is the most profitable activity in internet marketing. And all you have to do to find a million  ideas for making your own products is look around.

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If you want to spread your creative wings and make stuff to market on the web, my book, "Tapping Into Trends To Create An Endless Stream Of High-Profit Products" will inspire you to be your most creative, successful  self by showing you just some of the many ways I use the internet to make creative cash. I’m Bonnie Boots, a digital product creator and internet marketing coach & consultant. Use the subscribe box at the top of this page to keep in touch with me.

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