The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Focus on Problems, Not Solutions

At the most fundamental level, new products or services succeed because they solve problems in customers’ minds. PCs helped eliminate tedious, time-consuming paperwork. Smartphones gave people an Internet connection anywhere in the world. Entrepreneurs are natural problem solvers—you started your company because you recognized a problem worth solving. You were fed up with the way things were done, and so you created a solution that would make peoples’ lives easier. A common fatal startup pitfall to avoid is to focus exclusively on your proposed solution after launching. You must maintain your focus on the problem, not your current solution, because your solution will undoubtedly change in the coming months. As good as your idea may be, there are hundreds of reasons why it will change. You have to be adaptive, and the best way to do this is to focus on the problem rather than the solution. Write the problem down. Explore it with potential customers and partners. Resolve never to lose sight of the fact that you’re focused on solving a problem, not forcing your solution on the market. By maintaining this focus, it will be only natural that you adapt and pivot toward the solution that has the best chance of being accepted by the market.

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