So great, now you’ve validated internally and the people you’ve told also validate the awesomeness of your idea. You’re on cloud nine, nothing can stop you now. So you mortgage the house, quit your job and start your business right? Not quite.

Having a great idea for a new business is all well and good, but looking for validation on how “great” your idea is follows the wrong approach. You see, most people will agree that your idea is awesome. Whether they think so or not is besides the point. Having a great idea for a business isn’t what’s going to pay the bills or make you rich. Its not even great execution of your terrific idea. At the end of the day its whether someone is gonna pay you money for your product or service.

So let’s restate that, It is possible to have an awesome idea, and execute it flawlessly and still fail as a new business.

So how do you avoid this no-win scenario? Instead of asking people what they think of your new idea, ask them “Would you use this service?” Or “Would you buy this product?” Then if they say yes, follow up with “How often?” and then “How much would you be willing to pay?”

You’ll find that responses to these questions will be less enthusiastic than the “What do you think of this idea?” type questions. Also, discount anyone who answers “Personally I wouldn’t have a need for this, but I know of several people who would” If someone tells you this, then ask “Okay, how can I contact those people?”

And keeping digging until you find an audience of people who responses are along the lines “GOD YES! Where have you been all my life? I will pay you to build this product! I want to invest in your company! Can I be your co-partner?”  Once you find multiple people who have money and wish they could buy your product/service right this moment, you’re golden. Your good idea now has value.

As you start your business and develop your product/service, keep in constant contact with your first customers. They want your product/service because they need it. They won’t have any problems helping you get to market.

Lastly, a word on the “if you build it, they will come” philosphy. You may be tempted to think “pft… this idea is so new that people will just have to experience it”. Perhaps, but more than likely not. Just think of all the movies that are released that are total flops at the box office. Movie studios have been playing this game for years, and even they can’t predict a win, so what chance do you have? At least movie studios can recover from their losses – can you? If not, make sure to find all the people who are going to be waiting in line once your product hits the market.

For the self-employed, the idea of CoLabing is great. It gives you the chance to get out of the house, change up your routine, and get motivated by being around other people. Mind you, there is a membership fee, but for what you get, I think its well worth the money (plus, you get your own downtown office! can you say Baller??)

For me, CoLab solves one of the two main problems that i faced with being self-employed: one – regular income and two – being around people. Had CoLab been around when I was laid-off last year, I could easily still be freelancing today.

Apart from helping the self-employed, CoLab also helps to foster and grow the tech community within Orlando (something that is very important to me) by giving those who work here a sense of community and connection. Now that’s awesome!

So, for my first bit of advice. Invest the most time behind the most challenging aspect of your business. Don’t have any idea as to what will be the hardest part of your new business? Ask people, but more than likely the answer you’ll hear will be ‘marketing’. There are other challenges that you will face later down the road, but this by far will be the biggest show-stopper for most business that rely on high-volume, frequent transactions for growth.

Once you’ve identified your biggest hurdle, make sure your time is proportionately spent tackling it. Most wet-behind-the-ear entrepreneurs focus on their strengths and spend most of their time on what they’re most comfortable doing. If you’ve spent most of your life as a software developer, then you’ll have no problem spending 95-percent of your time cranking out code for your awesome new product. That may not be a bad thing if the product you’re building is viral in nature (think MySpace or Facebook) but if it’s not (and most likely it isn’t)  then you’re not tackling the one thing that’s gonna hold you back.

You got to fully engross yourself into anything that’s going to hinder your chances for success, even if it means crawling out of your shell and learning something new. That means becoming an expert on something you may know very little on. And trust me, finding someone who is a “expert” and using them will never be as effective until you take ownership 100-percent.

Also be wary of marginalizing or pushing back the most challenging part of your business. Once you’ve identified your biggest problem, it deserves your immediate attention. Don’t ever say to yourself, “Well marketing maybe my biggest hurdle, but I need to build a product before I can market my business.” If that’s your line of thought, then you’ve already failed. It’s never too early to create buzz, to justify your markets or to plan.