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1. Accept that the best product is usually not the one that sells. e.g. perfect is the enemy of good enough (or a thousand other versions of that saying). 2. F

1. Accept that the best product is usually not the one that sells. e.g. perfect is the enemy of good enough (or a thousand other versions of that saying). 2. Find a pain point in an area you understand or have experience etc, then talk to people about if it is something worth solving for them before you ever build something. Don't build until you have multiple people say it is worth it and ask when they can have it/demo it pay for it etc. 3. Build the simple version, one that is almost embarrassing in simplicity but is reliable and not bug ridden. The simple version must solve a key pain point and then get it in one or more client(s) hands for testing and refinement. 4. Keep refining 1 thing in the product at a time. Listen to clients but do not chase features only. Chasing features is a sure way to die by a thousand cuts, be selective on features that solve the need and which a client is actually paying for or using. I've had lots of customers say we need this feature or we can't buy, then you do it and they either still don't buy or never use the feature and drop you in 3 months. Be weary of this. 5. Stop second guessing so much. We all have doubt but the reason so many young people succeed early on in getting a product out is they don't have combined experiences telling them all the stuff that shouldn't work. As we age we see all the failures of the past and can let it cloud our drive and vision, you need to actively ignore this at some level but not stupidly so. At the same time the most successful founders are usually a little older who took that youthful inquisitiveness/naiveté forward but with life lessons on how not to shoot themselves in the foot.

tgflynn 5y ago
Does (2) ever actually work ? From what I've seen people very rarely recognize problems they have that have potential software solutions. If this weren't the case why aren't there websites where people are posting problems they need solved and HN posts titled "Please solve this..." ? I have a friend who runs an SME and some time ago I sent him an email with some very general ideas about categories of problems I might be able to help him solve. I never got a response to that email (though I continue to be in contact with him on other subjects).
- davismwfl 5y ago
  It does work, the key is you have to do more than send a text or email or just call someone (not picking on you, just my own personal lesson). You have to talk to people about their business and see what is happening. This is literally how I built 2 different companies in different spaces over the years (neither of which I own now). One thing you can do, and I used, was I was consulting as a way to identify problems in spaces I was active in and had knowledge around. It isn't that you can't guess a product and sell it, the chances just get lower and lower unless it is a pain point you know affects people willing to pay for it. Or you have significant R&D funds and you can spend them to iterate to a solution. I've got a notebook I keep of issues/ideas I hear people complain/talk about and I explore topics with people when I can to see what might be interesting & real. I have tons of ideas in there, likely 90% (or more) would be fun to build but be worthless as a business or even a side project (at least right now). That's why talking to people is so critical. If you have a good idea take it to potential clients and try to sell it, if they bite then you potentially have something, but do that before you build a whole system. The reason why I say this too is I've tried to start a side project based on something I thought was important and it was depressing when no one saw what I saw (outside of friends who gave friend type validation) and then that killed my interest. But instead when you go to 20 businesses and 10-15 say yes that would be good and it is worth $XXX to me each day/week/month/quarter or whatever then you have motivation to keep working it. Getting some form of validation is motivating to most people, so it helps keep you moving even when things aren't going great.
  - tgflynn 5y ago
    > It does work, the key is you have to do more than send a text or email or just call someone (not picking on you, just my own personal lesson). You have to talk to people about their business and see what is happening. How exactly is emailing/texting/phoning different from "talking to people" ? This question seems particularly significant in the covid era when opportunities for face to face contact are a bit limited. Also, as for me personally, I have a major mobility related disability so getting around much in physical space is now very difficult. > One thing you can do, and I used, was I was consulting as a way to identify problems in spaces I was active in and had knowledge around. Yes, I've always suspected that getting good ideas about a problem domain usually requires you to actually be doing some kind of work in that field. > I have tons of ideas in there, likely 90% (or more) would be fun to build but be worthless as a business or even a side project (at least right now). That's why talking to people is so critical. What is it that makes 90% of the ideas worthless ? Is it just too small a market, not impactful enough to the bottom line, or do you have other criteria for making that call ?

tgflynn 5y ago

Does (2) ever actually work ? From what I've seen people very rarely recognize problems they have that have potential software solutions. If this weren't the case why aren't there websites where people are posting problems they need solved and HN posts titled "Please solve this..." ? I have a friend who runs an SME and some time ago I sent him an email with some very general ideas about categories of problems I might be able to help him solve. I never got a response to that email (though I continue to be in contact with him on other subjects).

davismwfl 5y ago
It does work, the key is you have to do more than send a text or email or just call someone (not picking on you, just my own personal lesson). You have to talk to people about their business and see what is happening. This is literally how I built 2 different companies in different spaces over the years (neither of which I own now). One thing you can do, and I used, was I was consulting as a way to identify problems in spaces I was active in and had knowledge around. It isn't that you can't guess a product and sell it, the chances just get lower and lower unless it is a pain point you know affects people willing to pay for it. Or you have significant R&D funds and you can spend them to iterate to a solution. I've got a notebook I keep of issues/ideas I hear people complain/talk about and I explore topics with people when I can to see what might be interesting & real. I have tons of ideas in there, likely 90% (or more) would be fun to build but be worthless as a business or even a side project (at least right now). That's why talking to people is so critical. If you have a good idea take it to potential clients and try to sell it, if they bite then you potentially have something, but do that before you build a whole system. The reason why I say this too is I've tried to start a side project based on something I thought was important and it was depressing when no one saw what I saw (outside of friends who gave friend type validation) and then that killed my interest. But instead when you go to 20 businesses and 10-15 say yes that would be good and it is worth $XXX to me each day/week/month/quarter or whatever then you have motivation to keep working it. Getting some form of validation is motivating to most people, so it helps keep you moving even when things aren't going great.
- tgflynn 5y ago
  > It does work, the key is you have to do more than send a text or email or just call someone (not picking on you, just my own personal lesson). You have to talk to people about their business and see what is happening. How exactly is emailing/texting/phoning different from "talking to people" ? This question seems particularly significant in the covid era when opportunities for face to face contact are a bit limited. Also, as for me personally, I have a major mobility related disability so getting around much in physical space is now very difficult. > One thing you can do, and I used, was I was consulting as a way to identify problems in spaces I was active in and had knowledge around. Yes, I've always suspected that getting good ideas about a problem domain usually requires you to actually be doing some kind of work in that field. > I have tons of ideas in there, likely 90% (or more) would be fun to build but be worthless as a business or even a side project (at least right now). That's why talking to people is so critical. What is it that makes 90% of the ideas worthless ? Is it just too small a market, not impactful enough to the bottom line, or do you have other criteria for making that call ?