Inspired!: Take Your Product Dream from Concept to Shelf Take Your Product Dream from Concept to Shelf

"Vik's passion for entrepreneurship is so contagiousyou can catch it by reading this book."
--Mark Peter Davisentrepreneur, venture capitalist and community organizer
"Thomas Edison remarked that 'genius is one percent inspiration andninety-nine percent perspiration.' Inspired! will help you find the right balance of strategy and execution to bring your idea to the marketplace. Throughpractical case studies and insights from real experience, Vik's book isessential reading for any entrepreneur, marketer or innovator."
--John GerzemaChief Insights Officer, Young & Rubicam and coauthor of Spend Shift
"Pushing a new product idea out of the brain and onto the shelf requires a unique skilllset and a lot of tenacity. Vik has both and gracefully shares his lessons learned. Stop dreaming about your great product idea and read this book."
--Scott belskyFounder and CEO, Behance and author of national bestseller Making Ideas Happen

Inspired! provides product launch guidance from an experienced entrepreneur and brand manager who launched Redbull and then his own consumer product, Star Power. Author, Vik Venkatraman, divides the book into three distinct parts: Development, Launch, and Rollout.  Before you can have a successful consumer brand, you need to have a killer product and a consumer that wants it, with a package that is eye catching and consistent with its function, as well as with the capabilities of the retailer and the needs of the consumer.  Once you have a product, it needs to be tested with both the customers and the consumers before being produced. Its price must meet the market even at low volumes, and its design must be appealing to customers. The market gatekeepers need to believe the product can be successful, and it is imperative to build a track record of consumer preference. Throughout this process, Vik will provide readers with inspired and enchanted true stories and anecdontes of initiative and entrepreneurship, as well as failures.  Finally, Inspired! will introduce valuable and difficult-to-reach market players, such as producers, designers, distributors and retailers, as well as feature interviews and guest content from the entrepreneurs and merchandisers of successful consumer startup brands (see "IV. Chapter by Chapter" section of backup for complete list of names).

The definitive reference guide for developing, launching, and rolling out a new product Each year, thousands of new products are introduced to market. Most fail. What's worse is it doesn't have to be this way. The fact is product failure is rarely the result of either a lack of need or desire for a product, but, rather, is due to an entrepreneur who lacks the know-how to successfully develop, launch and rollout his or her product. Inspired! Take Your Product Dream from Concept to Shelf helps entrepreneurs to successfully navigate the marketplace, avoiding the common mistakes most people make, while finding traction faster, and building an attractive brand that players across the value chain will want will want to buy. Provides readers with inspiring true stories and anecdotes, as well as insightful interviews with top entrepreneurs and merchandisers Presents invaluable research as to producers, designers, distributors, and retailers Divided into three easy-to-follow sections - Development, Launch, and Rollout With unemployment hovering around 10%, many individuals are turning to the world of entrepreneurship. Now more than ever individuals, start-ups, and small businesses need expert guidance on how to bring their products from concept to shelf. Inspired! provides that guidance.