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I used to think everything came down to product.

“Build it and they will come”

“Be so good that everyone who tries your product will tell two others”

These ideas are attractive, especially as someone who enjoys building.

But recently I’ve found out that the product is not your biggest lever, at least in the beginning. Let me explain.

The Product Trap

Here’s how working on the wrong problem “feels” in practice.

You’re working on something.

But you’re seeing red flags again and again.

People just don’t seem to care as much as you do about the solution you’re giving them.

They think what you’re doing is “cool” but never actually sign up.

Maybe some people try it, but as soon as you mention it’s not free, they ghost you.

It feels like you’re running a charity. Isn’t business supposed to make you money, not cost you more?

It feels like you’re swimming uphill, you against the world

Is it the marketing? The landing page?

Is the onboarding not smooth enough?

Is the pricing wrong? Too cheap? Too expensive?

You push and you push, but nothing seems to break through.

Sound familiar?

I’ve been in this boat so many times, I can barely count them with my hands.

So what do we do instead?

How to Find Your Problem

Let’s say you own a lemonade stand.

What is the best way to sell out every time?

The freshest lemondate?

The best branding?

Maybe even being sneaky - cutting your supply?

The answer is a hot summer day, and a thirsty crowd.

Every transaction we make is a choice.

This means everone has to want your thing, and decide to trade their hard earned money for it.

Every time someone hands you money, they are deciding to solve a problem with your product as a solution.

This means when we’re starting out, the strongest lever we can pull is choosing the right problem.

Your problem will dictate everything.

• Types of customers you serve (B2B? B2C?)

• Their budgets for the solution (Your TAM/AOV)

• Even your level of interest in the problem

It sounds obvious, but I want you to really understand this because it took me so long to figure it out.

Your problem is your first question.

The MVP, research, beta testers, customer interviews…

These are all tools designed to help you answer the question:

AM I WORKING ON THE RIGHT PROBLEM?

What am I doing?

In short - trial and error.

I am building only what people want.

This means resisting the urge to tinker with products. I will only build what people request.

And my efforts go into:

• Building an MVP (actual MVP - 1wk max)

• Gathering feedback

• Only tinkering with marketing hypothesis

• Only building what people who expressed interest ask for

Right now, this means I am working on building only the iphone app

and using my time testing the other products while I do.

Stay productive, builders!

Ben

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