ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.
Listen "EP 82 Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn: How to Test Your Business Idea Before You Waste Time & Money"
Episode Synopsis
Episode Summary
In this episode of The Business Book Club, we dive into Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn—a field-tested framework for validating your business idea before you bet big on it.
Rather than launching on excitement and crossing your fingers, Flynn gives you a step-by-step pre-launch flight check: from checking if your idea aligns with your life goals, to actually asking your audience to buy—before you build anything.
If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or creative with an idea burning in your head, this episode shows you how to test it smart, small, and fast—so you don’t waste months (or money) chasing the wrong thing.
Key Concepts Covered
🧭 Mission Design: Does the Idea Fit You?
Success isn’t just revenue—it’s alignment.
Use the History Test to identify past work patterns: What energized you? What drained you?
Design a business that fits your strengths, not someone else’s version of success.
🦈 The Sharkbait Test: What’s Your Unfair Advantage?
Why you? Why now? What makes you hard to replace?
“Hardworking” isn’t enough. Your edge might be empathy, relatability, timing, or lived experience.
Ask your circle what they see as your “superpower.”
🧠 The Development Lab: Get the Idea Out of Your Head
Use mind mapping to go wide, then refine.
Boil it all down into a one-sentence pitch—not for yourself, but to get feedback.
If you can’t explain it simply, your audience can’t say yes.
✈️ Flight Planning: Build for a Specific Audience
Don’t aim for the masses—aim to be big in a small world.
Use the Market Map:
Places – Where your audience hangs out
People – Who they trust
Products – What they’re already paying for
If they’re not buying anything similar, it might not be a strong opportunity.
🧪 Flight Simulator: Validate with Real Sales
Nice words ≠ validation. Only money proves demand.
Follow the 4-step launch process:
Get visibility with the right audience
Hyper-target those with the specific problem
Build trust (KT factor: Know, Like, Trust)
Ask for the sale — pre-sell to prove it’s real
Example: School of Motion pre-sold 40 spots for $5,000 before building the course.
Actionable Takeaways
✅ Run the History Test
→ Grade your past roles A–F. Spot patterns in what fuels or drains you. Align your business accordingly.
✅ Find Your Edge
→ Ask others: What’s your unique value? Use those insights to differentiate in your niche.
✅ Build a Market Map
→ List Places, People, and Products to understand your audience deeply—and speak their language.
✅ Validate with a Transaction
→ Don’t just ask if they like your idea. Ask them to pay. That's the real test.
Top Quotes
📌 “If the business works but doesn’t fit your life, it’s still a failure.”
📌 “Don’t ask if they would buy. Ask them to buy.”
📌 “Validation without a transaction is just wishful thinking.”
📌 “You don’t need millions. Just 1,000 true fans who truly care.”
📌 “Fail small. Learn fast. Adjust smarter.”
Resources
📘 Will it Fly? by Pat Flynn [Get the book here]
Final Thought
This book isn’t about guaranteeing success. It’s about failing better—learning faster, risking less, and building with proof.
Success comes not from blind optimism but informed action. It’s not about never being wrong—it’s about knowing when you're wrong before you spend the next six months building the wrong thing.
So before you launch, test the folds. Build the airplane first—then launch with confidence.
#WillItFly #PatFlynn #StartupValidation #Entrepreneurship #BusinessBookClub #BusinessIdeas #LeanStartup #1000TrueFans #MarketResearch #ProductLaunch
In this episode of The Business Book Club, we dive into Will It Fly? by Pat Flynn—a field-tested framework for validating your business idea before you bet big on it.
Rather than launching on excitement and crossing your fingers, Flynn gives you a step-by-step pre-launch flight check: from checking if your idea aligns with your life goals, to actually asking your audience to buy—before you build anything.
If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or creative with an idea burning in your head, this episode shows you how to test it smart, small, and fast—so you don’t waste months (or money) chasing the wrong thing.
Key Concepts Covered
🧭 Mission Design: Does the Idea Fit You?
Success isn’t just revenue—it’s alignment.
Use the History Test to identify past work patterns: What energized you? What drained you?
Design a business that fits your strengths, not someone else’s version of success.
🦈 The Sharkbait Test: What’s Your Unfair Advantage?
Why you? Why now? What makes you hard to replace?
“Hardworking” isn’t enough. Your edge might be empathy, relatability, timing, or lived experience.
Ask your circle what they see as your “superpower.”
🧠 The Development Lab: Get the Idea Out of Your Head
Use mind mapping to go wide, then refine.
Boil it all down into a one-sentence pitch—not for yourself, but to get feedback.
If you can’t explain it simply, your audience can’t say yes.
✈️ Flight Planning: Build for a Specific Audience
Don’t aim for the masses—aim to be big in a small world.
Use the Market Map:
Places – Where your audience hangs out
People – Who they trust
Products – What they’re already paying for
If they’re not buying anything similar, it might not be a strong opportunity.
🧪 Flight Simulator: Validate with Real Sales
Nice words ≠ validation. Only money proves demand.
Follow the 4-step launch process:
Get visibility with the right audience
Hyper-target those with the specific problem
Build trust (KT factor: Know, Like, Trust)
Ask for the sale — pre-sell to prove it’s real
Example: School of Motion pre-sold 40 spots for $5,000 before building the course.
Actionable Takeaways
✅ Run the History Test
→ Grade your past roles A–F. Spot patterns in what fuels or drains you. Align your business accordingly.
✅ Find Your Edge
→ Ask others: What’s your unique value? Use those insights to differentiate in your niche.
✅ Build a Market Map
→ List Places, People, and Products to understand your audience deeply—and speak their language.
✅ Validate with a Transaction
→ Don’t just ask if they like your idea. Ask them to pay. That's the real test.
Top Quotes
📌 “If the business works but doesn’t fit your life, it’s still a failure.”
📌 “Don’t ask if they would buy. Ask them to buy.”
📌 “Validation without a transaction is just wishful thinking.”
📌 “You don’t need millions. Just 1,000 true fans who truly care.”
📌 “Fail small. Learn fast. Adjust smarter.”
Resources
📘 Will it Fly? by Pat Flynn [Get the book here]
Final Thought
This book isn’t about guaranteeing success. It’s about failing better—learning faster, risking less, and building with proof.
Success comes not from blind optimism but informed action. It’s not about never being wrong—it’s about knowing when you're wrong before you spend the next six months building the wrong thing.
So before you launch, test the folds. Build the airplane first—then launch with confidence.
#WillItFly #PatFlynn #StartupValidation #Entrepreneurship #BusinessBookClub #BusinessIdeas #LeanStartup #1000TrueFans #MarketResearch #ProductLaunch
In God we trust