Ever have an idea that didn't turn out the way you wanted?
Will It Fly by Pat Flynn is a book tailored towards entrepreneurs who have ideas that they want to turn into businesses. However, this book is a bit more than that. It is a way to test to see if any idea you have (whether it pertains to business, art, or anything) will really be worth your while or if you should shelve it for later.
This book walks you through from concept to execution when it comes to ideas to see if they will "fly."
What is Will It Fly
In today's Reading Report and Review, I'll discuss how this book I stumbled upon in mid-February had exceeded my expectations. While I don't remember exactly where I found it, I want to say I found it from Reddit while browsing my curated "Home" page. I expected this book to be spouting the same advice over and over to make people think that they'll get rich quick as opposed to really giving me something new to chew on.
Pat Flynn uses a combination of storytelling, walkthroughs, videos, and activities to make this book an experience as opposed to just reading material. While I didn't do all the exercises, I can say that several of the activities are on my to-do list for the summer months.
Since "Will It Fly" is a business-oriented book, I'll continue referring to the book's ideas as such from now on. However, keep in mind that these concepts, I believe, could be applied to projects that you want to create to impact others or pieces of art that you want to make 'viral.'
What I learned from Will It Fly
Creating a Market Map: In the "flight planning" section of the book, it covers the importance of researching the niche that you are attempting to get into. However, the differentiator between most books I've read, and this book is the execution. Not only does the chapter says 'research what your target audience wants' or 'find out what others in the industry are doing,' but it also gives you a spreadsheet to put all this information. It helps give direction as opposed to 'just research and learn.'
“Listen to others, but trust your numbers”: This phrase stuck with me in the section of "flight simulator." People you speak with will encourage you to pursue any idea you feel passionate about, but actions speak louder than words. It's not a new concept, but it's good to be reminded (especially in the creative industry), that exposure is not the same as dollar bills.
How to share ideas: One of the hurdles I experience with my plans is telling others about them. There's an entire chapter dedicated to teaching how to share your ideas and receive feedback. While some of this I feel I learned from my time at Landmark, it's always good to have concepts reinforced.
7-38-55 Rule of Communication: This rule was one that I never heard of before. It's saying that 55% of communication is expressed through body language, which I had heard before. Still, I didn't really put a number to how valuable one's gestures and facial expressions are in a conversation.
What I liked about Will It Fly
The Paper Airplane Theme: Flynn organized his book that each section was related to the concept of building a paper airplane and seeing if it'd fly. One of the chapters is even dedicated to creating a paper airplane and flying it (with a PDF and instructional video as well). This real-life parallel works perfectly with the concept of creating an idea on paper and executing it to make it real (and successful).
Storytelling: Business can be a really dry topic for some, especially those who are new to the industry. Pat Flynn inserts stories of himself and others to introduce new ideas and to provide examples of concepts. My favorite story was Flynn's high school business card tale. Part of it was due to how cute and comical the idea of high schoolers having business cards are, but the other part was how he still had a copy of one of his old cards that stuck with me.
The Free Downloads: If you go through the online course as I did, it was great having the option to download the resources that Flynn made available on his online class. While there were a few I just recreated on Notion, there are others I downloaded. My favorite was the Customer P.L.A.N.
What I didn't like about Will It Fly
Mission Design: The first section of the book, titled "Mission Design," felt like a slog compared to the rest of the book. I think that's why it took me a while after finding it in February to finally get myself to push past that in April. It's not bad, but I've done some work of reverse engineering (planning from the future and working my way back), so much of it seemed not to apply to me. It felt like I was being given an appetizer when what I wanted was the main course.
The Online Course: Weird that I'd bring it up after singing praises about it, right? The only reason it goes here is that the constant back and forth between the book and each chapter was distracting. Part of me wishes that the online course was after each section as opposed to each chapter, but other times having a lesson be about a chapter worked really well. Let's say I have a love-hate relationship with this aspect. It's fantastic, but the "task switching" was distracting.
Implementing Will It Fly in my life
As I mentioned earlier in my post, I'd like to revisit some of the exercises in the summer. I'm particularly interested in filling out my P.L.A.N. for my other blog, PKMN Dailies.
From the "So where do you go from here?" I took notes of some resources I am interested in looking into, so I can continue reading, implementing, and learning.
I would like to take this concept of "Will It Fly" for other projects that I'm interested in. After all, if I can see if my ideas are worth investing time and money in, then it'll save me a lot of heartbreak down the road if my idea doesn't work out.
Resources for Will It Fly
Pat Flynn's video on YouTube: It explains the origins of "Will It Fly" and what it teaches you directly from the author.
Pat Flynn's YouTube Channel: Want to learn more about Pat Flynn and be apart of #TeamFlynn? Pat Flynn has a YouTube channel where he goes over various topics such as Starting a Business from Scratch, How to Create YouTube Videos, How to Podcast, and more.
One Percent Better: A video on YouTube sums up "Will It Fly" in approximately six minutes. Since it took me about 6 hours to read the book, I'd recommend you give this video a read to see if you want to invest that kind of time in a book.
Would I Recommend?
"Will It Fly" I feel will work best for individuals who are serious about pursuing entrepreneurship or who want to create long-term art projects. I wouldn't want to recommend this book to someone who isn't serious about their business or craft. It won't bring them results unless they are willing to put it into the work. There's a lot of great nuggets of wisdom in this book, but all of that is just motivational content if it's not tied to action.
If you can put a minimum of 5 hours to read (and do the course) and then more hours on research, documentation, and implementation, then yes, this book is excellent for you. If you think money will start raining from the sky by cracking the book open, then I think all you'll get is a nifty way to learn how to make paper planes.
What Are Your Thoughts About Will It Fly?
"Will It Fly" was a slow start for me, but I really became attached to the book and its concepts as it ramped up and felt more 'real' to me. I even made two TikToks about how this book made my day a bit brighter.
Other articles from the Reading Report and Review series
Confrontation does not always mean I want to get in a fight with you. When I say I "dislike confrontation," I mean that my heart starts beating 10x faster at the prospect of asking someone for a favor or to debate prices. If I could avoid having to confront someone, 9 out of 10 times, I will.
Which is exactly why I needed to read (or rather listen) to Never Split the Difference. It's all about viewing the art of negotiating through a different lens and giving you the tools to handle these kinds of discussions better.