If your idea is a fairly simple t-shirt or snapsuit design, you can often produce these fairly inexpensively or float a test balloon at CafePress.

But what if you need a more involved prototype?  One businesswoman has not only started up a company with a marvelous idea, one-piece rompers that look like outfits, with the clever name “Stylease“, she’s also launched a small business blog that takes readers on the ups and downs of business planning, product development, launching, marketing, and more.

Her latest post, So You Have a Great Idea, Now What?, discusses the next steps once you’ve done your market research and developed your idea.

Her last paragraph shows why she is such a savvy businesswoman:

Think of the product as a small piece to a bigger puzzle. If you are serious about investing in your idea, it’s not just about developing a product, but also about what to do with it once you have it. Development can be expensive and it would be a waste of time and money to create something without also considering what you will do with it once it’s created, in order to get a return on that investment.

Go read her full post and check out her archives to learn more about how she got her own business up and running, including an honest self-assessment on her successes and challenges.

If you get fixated on your product, that could blind you to the opportunities for success that await you.  Don’t lose the forest for the trees!