Another option is to offer the product/service before you are ready to roll it out. 

This lets you gauge consumer response and see if people are willing to pay for it. 

This is a risky option depending on the product/service you are offering. 

If consumer response is overwelmingly positive then you will have to get the product/service developed quickly and roll it out in order to meet demand and not lose your customers. 

If the response is bad then you haven’t lost anything. 

With this option the financial risk is very low.

A way to do this is to crowdfund it.  Pitch the idea on a crowdfunding site to raise money and gauge consumer feedback.

Utilize these crowdfunding sites to test this concept.