What I learned at the Product Factory

Monday was a bittersweet day for me.  It was the last day of the Product Factory.  The Product Factory (created by Michael Port and Mitch Meyerson) is a 12 week long “incubator” for new online products.  The course included weekly lessons on how to envision, create and promote a terrific information product along with weekly team calls and support.

I was honored to have been chosen as one of the Product Factory team leaders to help give support to some very wonderful people whose products will change lives.  I also got a good kick in rear and tons of motivation for finishing my product – the Tame the Internet Monster Community Cookbook.

I have taken many, many courses on how to create products — but this was one of the best because:

• the team leader system created a real sense of community in the group. Yes, there were 100 people in the class – but it felt like you were part of a small cohesive group within your teams.
• Micheal and Mitch were very accessible to the students in the class. At one point, they were almost begging us to ask them questions!
• The class (and I found this to be true of Mitch Meyerson’s Guerrilla Marketing Coaching training also) was constructed as a metaphor for life and business in general.  I think many people grew during this process.

The three most important lessons I learned from the experience:

• Group support is so very important. It is very easy, as a solopreneur who works virtually to be the lone wolf and not get feedback.  Everyone on the team (including me) got some excellent feedback from the group that made our products better.
• Commitment will see you through. A few team members had big personal issues.  Yet, they continued to create their products so they wouldn’t let the group down.
• Sometimes something is better than nothing… Many of my team members started out with very grand visions of huge products.  When the deadline neared, many had to scale back on their plans a bit.  In in some ways, I think the intermediate products were better because their creators could focus more on a smaller product.

So… without any further ado (because I am proud team leader) – I wanted to highlight the products my team produced during the Product Factory:

From Tami Robinson – An Introduction to Goal Blazing:  Burning Through the Obstacles that Hold Back You and Your Business

From Denise Garratt -

The Dog Do Workbook: 7 Things You Need To Do To Create A Forever Home for Your Rescue

From Diana Robinson -

When Someone You Love is Addicted

From Odette Smith -

Stress for Success: 7 Keys to Find Breakthrough In Your Life

From Katherine Torrini -

Inner Critic Kryptonite: the weapons you need to defeat the Inner Critic that sabotages your success.

From Lisa Rothstein -

Creativity to Cash

I had the privilege to preview many of these — and they are all great.  I really enjoyed working with this fabulous group of smart, dynamic and caring entrepreneurs.