716: The Minimum Viable Product

I'm going to share with you today a concept, an idea that can incredibly, hugely impact the way you get things accomplished in your life. Speed them up and make them happen with so much less effort, so much more ease. And the concept is called the minimum viable product. Now, I'm as guilty as anyone with my tendency to over complicate. So I have learned this the hard way over the years. Things that could be simple become really big, Messy takes too long. Like if you're starting a business and you've been grinding away, overdoing it, but selling nothing right over complicating. Maybe it's the website that you made, or maybe a solution to some thorny problem that you've been mulling over and trying to figure out for months. You know, should I do this or should I do that? It is decision. And you realize this, this could have been simple. There was a moment where it, it could have been, but it's no longer simple. Well, I'm gonna show you how to get back to that so that you can start to speed through some of these things that have been slowing you down, taking forever and not bearing fruit. So stay with me. Flow dreaming, still kinda Woo Woo is.

Just what it sounds like.

An escape into the world of woo.

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Aware in every way.

It's your ultimate journey into personal growth and inner power. We'll explore ideas like how your energy self influences the kinds of opportunities you.

Encounter, or how your personal growth can.

Drive your business growth.

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Stuck is really always coming from something else. We just have to figure out what. That's right, we're a dash of woo woo.

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Purpose, self love and confidence in you.

That you practically stagger. I'm Summer McStravik, your host and welcome to Flight.

Slow dreaming, still kind of woo woo. I'm so happy you're all with me. Today we are jumping into Our episode number 716, the minimum viable product. And maybe you're thinking, Summer, what does this have to do with energy, emotion manifesting or flow? Well, it has all the world to do with it. Because if you're manifesting something, if you're creating something, you can create something that's difficult, thick, thorny, takes forever, doesn't go anywhere. Or you can manifest something that's free flowing, fueled with ease, speedy Gets you where you need to go, gets it done fast. Right. That is what our focus is today because. Well, we'll just jump in first. I'm so glad you're listening. I sometimes forget to share my appreciation with you. Some of you have been listening for almost 20 years now, which is ridiculous. I think it's wonderful though. Thank you. Thank you. And big hugs and smooches. Some of you have just found this podcast and you're still trying to figure out what we talk about. Well, we talk about flow Dreaming, which is a method for manifesting creating things in our life, healing. It's a beautiful, energetic practice which is the basis for this show. But I also spread out and go in all different areas and sometimes interview some interesting people, get some interesting perspectives on just this beautiful magical thing we call life. Right. That sounds like it came from a song. What song am I thinking? This thing called life. It's an old 80s song. I know some of you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, so we're going to jump into the minimum viable product. And what I mean by this. Well, this term comes from the world of basically startups and software and people who are creating things to sort of test, right, see if the masses will appreciate it. Does this concept work? The minimum viable product really is a version of a new product that allows a company or team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort. I know that was a mouthful, but what it means is you put out something that has the basis, the nugget of what you want to offer. No bells, no whistles, as they say. You put it out there and you see how people respond. You don't spend any more money, you don't build out anything bigger until you get that vital piece of information from the nucleus of what it is. So this minimum viable product idea means that you're getting to validate something before you grow it more. What I see people do often when you want to create something new in your life, let's say I'm gonna use a business because it's a pretty clear way of explaining it, but it can be a relationship, it could be a life direction, it could be. Should I go back and get that degree? After all these years, we start to enter into something, an idea, something we wanna launch, create. Well, let's say it is a business, let's say it's a coaching business because I've actually spoken with quite a few coaches about this very conc. And they've been working on launching this for a Long time, right? They had to get their certification. Then they had to build the website, Then they had to build some emails, and then they had to build the audience, and then they had to build some things to give to that audience for free. Then they had to build out what their structure is gonna look like. Then they have to build out all the different ways and price points. And I'm just looking at this thinking. You've been preparing for a couple of years, right? More than a few years. And you've got a lot here. How do you even know if people want this? You have something stuck in your head about what you think people want, and you are absolutely bent on building the entire thing out because it's making you feel really productive, right? It's making you feel like, I'm working on my business. I'm working on it. I'm doing it. I'm doing something every day. Look at all the stuff I've made. And I ask, you've made a lot of stuff. You don't have a single customer. You're making stuff for people that may not want the stuff you're making. You don't know yet. You have no idea. You are guessing. And you have invested so much time, so much energy, so much money in basically your guess. They say, well, I'm not really guessing. People have told me, like, I've listened to experts and taking classes, and I'm like, yes, but you're still guessing. You're listening to what other people are telling you. Other people will want. We don't know if they want that from you. We don't know what your genius is yet. We need to find that out. What is your minimum viable product? What is the core thing you do? What is the core message? You may think you know what it is, but I've got news for you. Other people are the ones to judge. I know, strange. You're like, but I want to do this. Like, yeah, maybe you want to do this. But other people are gonna look to you and say, but I prefer to get that from you. Here's what I actually need. When you're building something, launching something, creating something, it's a dance. And if you are overworking something, it's like, you're the only one on the dance floor for song after song after song. Your partner, right? Your customers are sitting there by the side looking at you. You need to get out on that dance floor on the first dance. That's the only way you learn how to actually move. Like, you can pretend you're waltzing and hold your hands in the air. But until you have that other person doing it with you, you are not going to get it right. You're gonna think you know, but you're not really gonna know. So this is where we get to this concept of pull it back. What's the least that you need to start talking, to start sharing, to start discovering. What's the least that you need? What is the core of things? What things are you doing just to make yourself feel busy, productive and good? Because you're afraid to do the actual thing. And that's really the key here. The actual thing, the thing this is all leading toward. For many people, when it comes to business, for instance, or coaches, what they're afraid to actually do is talk to people and tell them that they can help them and share what their pricing is and stand behind. I really want to help you through this. I've been there, I see this, I know this. I will guide you. Right? That's the conversation they're afraid to have. So I say, look, have the conversation. I need you to start having those conversations now and worry later about the structure of the program or the classes that you'll teach or the this or the that. I'm like, you can put that together as you move along because you're listening. You need the feedback. Otherwise you may build something nobody wants. You want to build things with that information now, what if it's not a business? What if it's something else? Maybe it's a personal life decision and you've been thinking about it for a long, long time. Should I go back and get a degree in should I shift careers? Should I quit this job and get another? And you've built this out in your head. You're like, it's going to take me five years to get this. But then, I mean, how will I even break into that? And I don't know anybody there. And you know how you're doing this, right? You're researching it, you're thinking about it, but still you're going to work every day. You're not really making progress in switching careers because you're stuck. You're hung up on the should I even switch careers Question. We have an advanced past Go. And you've been stuck in that question for how long? How long should I change jobs? Should I even change employers, stay in the same career? You've been stuck in that question. What's happened is you've been over complicating it. You've been asking yourself things like, well, what if they don't have the good, the same benefits, or what if I get in a worse place than where I am now? What if I can't find anything? What if what, right? And it's like you're just expanding outward around the idea without committing to the idea. The minimum viable product is this. You put your resume out to a few places, you follow up, you try and get some interviews and you say, no, no, no, way too soon, way too soon. I can't do that yet. I don't even know if I want this yet. I'm like, great. They don't know if they want you until you sit down and start talking with somebody, talking with someone who's hiring. You will not even know if it feels right. You will not actually know if it's a fit. You may discover if you're sitting in an interview that the person across the table looking at you says, we have been looking for someone like you for so long. We are so glad that you are looking right now. And your job will hit the floor. And you'll say, you've been what? You've been looking for someone like me. And then you'll reflect back and think, all those months where I just couldn't decide. I didn't know. See, you need that feedback. You need the minimum viable product. Sometimes that's just you showing up, getting the feedback. You've got nothing to lose from an interview that you don't get a call back from. You've got nothing to lose, frankly, from putting your resume out. You've got nothing to lose except not getting enough information. That's really the key here. What do you need to do to advance and get the next step of information before you build anything else, before you make anything else, before you, you know, keep considering or going back and forth in your head. What is. What is the one thing you could do that would instantly clarify things, Instantly give you the information you need that is your minimum viable product. Let's shift this completely because you're like, okay, I get the business, I get the work. What if this is a relationship? And you're like, wow, I just want to get married and I want to be with a life partner forever. And so you're out there and you're looking for this, you know, this gorgeous, you know, lifetime, soulmate situation. Well, I'm going to tell you, oh, come back a little bit. Step back, let's do a minimum viable product situation instead. Why don't you, when you're out looking to meet people, start instead with God. What are the fundamental Qualities I'm looking for in a person. How do I know when a person just feels good? How do I know when a red flag goes up? How do I know I'm not even going to think about us next month, next year, or 10 years down the road? I'm just going to ask myself a simple question. I went on a few dates, and the feeling I got in each one was boredom or, you're not my type or, ugh, I don't like the way you think about life and the world. Ooh. I saw things. I didn't like how you treated. I saw something beautiful and tender in there. And I'm curious. What we're looking for here are the core vitals. I want you to become intensely aware. What are the core vitals that I'm looking for? Once you have that information, you know what you can build out from it. You know the kind of person you'll start responding to and the kind of people you'll immediately shut down to. Maybe you kind of already know, but maybe you've got a little lost and maybe that's why you're not out there looking. You kind of held holding back because it became complicated. Feeling it became, oh, but it'll be like my last relationship or, oh, I got so disappointed and, oh, they're not going to be there. And you can see how the layers of complicating thought start to just grow, proliferate. Mushrooms springing up after a warm rain on the forest floor. They're everywhere. Minimum viable product. I wonder what it would feel like to go out with somebody that. It feels very simple, very comfortable, very warm, very intriguing. I am looking for that period that perfectly. Friendships, right? Maybe you're feeling like I want to deepen my friendships. I want to have more friendships. What is the minimum viable product of a friendship? Well, depends on the kind of friendships. Some of our friendships are ones where we go out and do fun things. That's what we do. That's our mo. Some of our friendships are where we share and learn from one another. Right? Almost like a professional kind of friendship. What are you doing? How are you doing it? Are we facing the same challenges? Minimum viable product. What's the core of this friendship? What do we receive from each other? Is it that I just don't want to go out to a restaurant by myself? I'd rather go out with a friend or a couple of friends, have a girls night out. What is the minimum viable product I'm getting? No complicating, no backstory, no lengthy. This and that and she knows and he knows and he said, and she said and all of that. This is very simplifying, very clarifying. I'm trying to shift your entire mindset to start thinking about a lot of things in your life. Think about anything really that feels muddy, complicated, overwrought, overdone. Maybe you're having problems with your own employees or co workers and it's become a thing. Why? Why did it become a thing? What's the minimum viable product here? I need this done. I need it done with happiness and joy and gratitude. That's what I need. Am I getting it? Nope. Why don't I just focus on that? So we're pulling back from having to solve all the mysteries of the universe, all the different aspects of the situation or the problem, and we're solving the core essential one. What do I need? Am I getting it? What do I want to give? Am I actually giving it, or am I doing everything around the giving of it?

That's the question.

Like, write those down, ask yourself, apply it again. Anything that's feeling muddy, anything that's feeling stuck, anything that feels like I've been putting a lot in and it's not progressing. Chances are it's because you've created this huge mountainous pile of stuff on top of the Nucleus. The core minimum viable product. An example from my own life. One of the things that I sort of specialize in is reading people's thoughts, emotions, feelings, minds. That's my minimum viable product. I use that when I do flow dreaming sessions with people, when I guide them into these sacred spaces, these energy places. But I know what I'm doing is coming from this. I feel you, I see you, I know you, period. All the other layers, all the other teachings, everything springs from that. And if I didn't have that, I'd be cobbling together a bunch of stuff without a central core. So I'm very aware of that. When I work with people, I don't always state it out loud. This is what's going on. I just go right in and start using it. And it always works and it always clarifies, right? It goes right into the heart of things. So keep this in mind as you go forward. It's an interesting concept if you start playing with it. What's the minimum viable product of my marriage? What's the minimum viable product of my position at work? Like, what do they actually need from me and am I giving that thing? What is the minimum viable product of the new business that I'm trying to create? Can I Hone down on that. Not spend a whole lot on it or money or anything and just jump right in. Yes. The answer is always yes. And when you do, remember dance floor, you're inviting your partner and you're getting feedback. Now you know you're going in the right direction because people are telling you life is going to tell you you're getting immediate feedback and frankly, you're stopping yourself, preventing yourself from going down wrong path and twisty roads and roads that go nowhere. That is worth its weight in gold. Absolute gold. Now if you have questions, guys, I do introductory sessions now with Flow Dreaming. Go to my website, flowdreaming.com and look up where I say, hey, work with me and we will look into your life and what's going on and figure out what that is for you, what that means for you as we spend some time together. So take a look at that. The other thing I wanted to mention is I am giving free stuff to you. Free Flow Dreams. I have completely redone my website in the last month or two. Basically my site broke and I had to redo it. So you know what I did? I minimum viable product it. That's what I did. I actually removed a lot from the site. I brought it down to its bones. I brought it down to be simple. There's a shop full of flow dreams. There's a whole section full of courses where I go in and teach deeper and on on topics. There's an area to learn about me and an area to learn about flow dreaming. Right? And there's blog and podcasts, there's other stuff but I brought it down to the core. So you go there and you go, oh, this is the one I want to look at. This is what I'm interested in. Bingo. Beautiful. You are right there. So check it out. The two flow dreams I have for you right now. And believe me, if you're listening to this like four years from now, it's probably going to be something different. But right now I'm giving you a flow dream meditation for financial abundance for free. And I'm giving you instant alignment, a five minute energy activation that will get you right into that aligned, beautiful, humming, thrumming state of being where you can just be manifesting from the get go. So go grab those again, those are free presents from me to you as a thank you, you know, for being here and for being the kind of person that's invested in this same kind of work. We obviously probably share the same joy and the same, you know, deep need to know things and grow things and become our next better versions of ourselves. And of course we're a little bit woo woo because we talk about energy and emotion and manifesting as well. You're my people, so come to my website so I can get to know you and we will have some fun together in the coming weeks and months and potentially even, even years ahead. So with that, I'm gonna close up today's show again. Thank you so much. If you care to write a review, a podcast review of this at Apple, Amazon, Spotify, wherever you're listening right now, it's pretty easy. They always have the ability to just jump in and write something or give it a few stars. I'm gonna give you huge, huge, huge hugs. Gets around basically by word of mouth and by leaving reviews that stimulate the algorithms to bring it to more people. So if you do that, it's kind of like a thank you and a give back and a tip of the hat. So thank you. Thank you. Okay, until next time, I will see you with more flow. Dreaming still kinda. Woo woo. Hi friends.

If you enjoyed this episode, then I'd.

Like you to consider what having private mentoring with me would be like. You see, I accept a small number.

Of people each year for private coaching. The question is, what do you want to make? Who do you want to become? We can program and shape any area of yourself or your life. Imagine right now what you would be doing if you had no fear. Imagine how your life would look if there were no patterns and blocks repeatedly tripping you up. Imagine if you were fully healed in your heart, body and mind. Imagine if you also had a map to your success and you could follow.

It with ease and flow.

Well, I look into you and into your life and I feel where you're.

Going and know where the road is.

Open and where it's blocked. I help you make the very best decisions based on what's coming up for you. I'll also show you exactly what I do day to day to succeed in my personal and business life. And we can create a copycat plan for you. So if you're game, you can fill out an application on my website for private coaching. Just go to flowdreaming.com coaching and then let's talk. I mean, the time to go for it is now. So let's just get this started. Just reach out to me at my.

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