One of the keys to succeeding in information product creation is to break the process up into discrete steps. This frequently isn’t an instinctive reaction for the typical information marketer. Especially on the internet where small sized learning products are the norm.

However, it is extremely important to your ultimate success. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you don’t do this you probably won’t succeed… even when you are starting out let alone as you move forward.

Your product creation system should do this for you if only to help you to understand the overall task.

But why?

In this article, I’m going to ignore chunking and focus on the practical aspects. That’s not to say that chunking isn’t important. It is. It’s important to understanding and to learning the process. But while you can use the same chunks as you move forward, long term your focus needs to be on the operation of the system not the understanding of it. Unless of course you are constantly training new people!

So why is chunking important to long term use of the product creation process? (Yes, I know systems design uses a different term for this process but I’m not teaching you systems design. So I’m going to use the word learning content designers use.)

The first reason that having individual discrete tasks is important is one of schedule estimation. Frequently it is very difficult to estimate how long the total task of creating a product will take. After all, the size and type of the products matters as does the number of products in your product funnel. And those are just the most obvious elements. However, estimating a discrete task is often much easier. The total can then be estimated as the total of the discrete tasks.

Secondly, scheduling a large task can be problematic. However, by segmenting the task into a number of discrete tasks, you gain a much greater flexibility in scheduling. Not only that but as your business begins to add people you are able to schedule multiple people to the product creation.

Finally, segmenting a large task into smaller discrete tasks allows you to have much better control over the product creation. This affects two different areas — status and quality.

By segmenting your process into discrete tasks you are able to schedule and record the progress at much more detailed level. As a result you are more in control of the status of the product creation. You know what everyone is doing. When they should complete it. And how much it should cost. You also know exactly what has been done.

You also improve your overall quality. Instead of waiting until everything is done you can check quality as you go. This allows you to immediate react to low quality products without absorbing their costs. This means that you have less rework and your rework costs less. And if the product is not going to meet its quality requirement you will know about it in time to stop the development, change the requirement or fix the product.

When considering starting a home based business, there are several preliminary steps you need to take to ensure you start off for the ‘right’ reasons, in the ‘right’ market for yourself, and with the ‘right’ resources. You’ll begin to understand what’s ‘right’ through the following synopsis of what it truly takes to fully develop a successful home business.You should first be clear as to “Why” you want to start your own home based business (the ‘right’ reason) before you jump right into getting one started. This will be your reasons, your wants, your passions, your dreams. Ask yourself “What is my ‘Why’?”, and keep asking “Why” down to five levels, to get to the real answer. Your initial “Why” will typically be general and superficial and will only satisfy an immediate perceived need. You need to dig deeper and find the long term, life changing reason for starting a home based business. List and define these reasons,and be as specific as you can. It could be that you “want to set your own hours,” “be your own boss,” “have more time with your family,” “write your own paycheck,” maybe you’re “not fulfilled with the current profession you’re in.” These are all superficial, first level “Why’s”. “I want to achieve success in making my own way so I can pass that knowledge and skill down to my children so they, too, can duplicate my success and live the life they want, without all the struggles I had.” This is a more long term and life changing “Why”, perhaps a final fifth level, even.Whatever your “Why”, being successful at starting a home based business depends on your passion for the type of work you wish to delve into. There is, typically, a lot at stake when starting your own home business, and the amount of time and effort you must put into it could be overwhelming and exhausting. It is imperative that you be passionate about your new business endeavor in order to see it through to success. You must next focus on knowing and acknowledging your strengths. Take some time to recognize your talents and skills, and your passion (the ‘right’ reason). It is essential that you understand which type of business is well suited to you and your interests. Everyone can do something, but not anyone can do everything, and particularly well. So, clearly evaluate your strengths in any market. If the market you seek is one in which you have no or little experience, but simply the desire to work in, then you must be mentally and emotionally prepared to deal with a multitude of start-up issues while just learning the skills to manage in that market.Once you have established your “Why” and decided on what type of home based business you want to start according to your talents, skills and passion, you will need to develop what is THE most important aspect of your business, and that is the Business Plan. You’ve probably heard the saying ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. Your business plan is your guide to development and growth. It will list all of the important factors required to start a new business. Among other things, the plan will list your investment costs and options; financial gain you intend to receive from the business; the amount of time you anticipate developing, building and working your business should also be defined in your plan. It will also need to include any licenses and permits required, technical aspects (hardware, software, websites, etc.), and a Marketing Plan.After your business plan has been developed, the next fundamental requirement to starting a home based business is a plan to profit from it, a business marketing plan. This is your strategy for promoting and selling your product or service.Your marketing plan should specifically consider and consist of four factors: product, pricing, place and promotion. Once you choose the product or service you plan to sell or provide, you’ll need a solid pricing strategy. Too expensive and people won’t buy it; too cheap and people will think of low quality. Place is all about where you are going to market your products or services… local, global, or online. Promotion consists of advertising your home based business, whether marketing on the internet, or offline in print, in the media, etc.As you can clearly see, you must be properly prepared in order to be successful as an entrepreneur. Do your research, and do it right. Be sure you are very clear on your “Why” of wanting your own home based business. Fairly evaluate and determine your passion in order to choose the right home business for yourself. Develop a Business Plan and a Marketing Plan. This, with Promotion and Advertising, is what will bring traffic, i.e. customers, to your website. Customers, of course, are the life blood of your business. If you don’t have customers, you don’t have a business.

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.