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In reality, the problem ("what founders fail to do") is far more pernicious because it always seems like you already know the problem you're solving and what yo
by joshklein 15y ago
In reality, the problem ("what founders fail to do") is far more pernicious because it always seems like you already know the problem you're solving and what your target customers want. But then you go out and talk to people who are deeply interested, but who don't buy for some reason. And you wave your hands and explain why they aren't an exact fit, assuring yourself that the faceless others you know to exist are your real targets. But there are no faceless others, just more people who all have their own bizarre edge cases that don't quite fit how you genericized your vision before you had any customers.
- tensor 15y agoIt seems like you are trying to say something, but it's not clear exactly what it is. Are you speaking from personal experience? Or guessing at the mindset of others? It seems pretty obvious that if people are not willing to pay, then there is some sort of problem. Either your business plan isn't quite right, or perhaps the market you thought exists doesn't, or maybe your salesmanship is just very poor. Part of doing a startup is figuring out which of these is the case. Try asking people for that "some reason". Try changing the price. Try changing your sales pitch. Get feedback and advice from others. Focus on getting answers.
- joshklein 15y agoTo understand my comment you must refer to the section of the article I have cited.
- tensor 15y agoIf reading that section helped, I would not have needed to ask for clarification. As near as I can tell, you are trying to say one of two things: either that the tasks laid out in the article are hard, which is true, or that founders typically think that they are doing those things, but are really not.