If you ever want to build a business, don’t start by asking:
“What can I sell?”
Start with a different question:
“What does somebody need?”
That difference might seem small.
It’s not.
It’s the difference between trying to convince somebody to give you money and creating something valuable enough that they’re happy to give you money.
Nobody Really Wants Your Product
This is one of the first things I want you to understand about business.
People don’t really want products.
They want what the product does for them.
Someone doesn’t want a drill because they desperately want to own another power tool.
They need a hole.
They don’t necessarily want a lawn service.
They want their yard to look good without spending Saturday morning mowing it.
They don’t necessarily want accounting software.
They want to know where their money is going and whether their business is making money.
Once you understand that, you start looking at business differently.
Stop looking for things to sell.
Start looking for problems to solve.
Look for Friction
Pay attention when you hear people say things like:
“This is frustrating.”
“I wish there was an easier way.”
“Why does this take so long?”
“I hate doing this.”
“Why doesn’t somebody make…”
Those sentences are interesting.
Because somewhere inside them may be a need.
And needs create opportunities.
You don’t need to invent the next iPhone to become an entrepreneur.
Sometimes you just need to notice something everyone else has accepted as normal.
Why do we do it this way?
Could it be faster?
Could it be easier?
Could it cost less?
Could the experience be better?
Could I take something complicated and make it simple?
That curiosity is where a lot of businesses begin.
Don’t Fall in Love With Your Idea
You’re going to have ideas you think are incredible.
I hope you have thousands of them.
But remember this:
An idea isn’t valuable just because you love it.
Other people have to need it.
One of the easiest mistakes in business is deciding what you want to build and then going searching for people who might want it.
Do the opposite.
Find the need first.
Understand the problem.
Understand the person experiencing it.
Then figure out what you can build to solve it.
Fall in love with the problem before you fall in love with your solution.
Because your first solution might be wrong.
That’s okay.
Change it.
The need is what matters.
Learn to Watch People
This is something you can practice long before you ever start a company.
Pay attention.
Watch how people behave.
Listen to what they complain about.
Notice what they spend money on.
Notice what they spend time avoiding.
Notice the things they repeatedly ask other people to do for them.
Those are clues.
Business is really just people exchanging value.
Someone has something another person wants.
Time.
Knowledge.
Skill.
Convenience.
Entertainment.
Safety.
Status.
Comfort.
A solution to a problem.
Your job is to figure out what people value and find a way to provide it.
Money Follows Value
I don’t want you to spend your life chasing money.
Learn to create value instead.
Those are very different things.
If you become really good at solving meaningful problems for other people, money tends to become a result rather than the entire objective.
Ask:
Who can I help?
What problem can I solve?
What can I make easier?
What can I make better?
What would somebody gladly pay to have taken off their plate?
That’s where you start.
Before the business plan.
Before the logo.
Before the website.
Before you start thinking about how much money you’re going to make.
Find the need.
Then solve it.
And solve it so well that people are glad they found you.