{"id":3403,"date":"2015-06-01T13:04:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T20:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/?p=3403"},"modified":"2015-06-01T15:28:53","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T22:28:53","slug":"startups-solve-your-own-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/entrepreneurship\/startups-solve-your-own-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Startup Should Solve Your Own Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you want to start a business that\u2019s going to be a wild success and change the world? I know I do! But let\u2019s face it, that sh*t\u00a0is hard.<\/p>\n

It seems to take some super-secret combination of determination, luck, and smarts to build a successful business. Unfortunately, there\u2019s not much I can do to make the process less insanely difficult or exhausting for you.<\/p>\n

What I can offer you, though, is a single piece of advice that, based on my experience, will greatly improve your chances of not failing<\/i>. And the longer you manage not to fail, the closer you\u2019ll be to success.<\/p>\n

My advice: Build a business that solves a personal problem.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When I say \u201cpersonal problem,\u201d I don\u2019t necessarily mean something that you personally struggle with, though it usually is.<\/p>\n

A personal problem can be anything that you\u2019re deeply connected to because of something you\u2019ve experienced in some way \u2014 whether that be something that has impacted you, a loved one, or even society. It\u2019s something that speaks to you and draws passion from you.<\/p>\n

There are obviously many paths to success, and this approach isn\u2019t necessarily best in all situations. But based on my experience, it offers\u00a0definite benefits that will help you in numerous ways.<\/p>\n

You Are Your Customer<\/h2>\n

When you build a business that solves a personal pain point, you are your customer<\/i>. This is important for several reasons.<\/p>\n

Solving a personal problem means that you can be a critical user of your product. Starting with the very first line of code, you can begin testing, iterating, and polishing in a meaningful way to ensure product perfection.<\/p>\n

For all intents and purposes, you are your very first beta tester \u2014\u00a0you are your own superuser<\/i>. After all, if you\u2019re building something that solves your own problem and you<\/i> don\u2019t find utility in your own product, why the heck would anyone else?<\/p>\n

\"Logical\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re building a solution to your own problem, getting outside input is still important, but it\u2019s not vital in the initial stages of development.<\/p>\n

You obviously can\u2019t account for the variety that exists among your users this way, but there are some serious upsides. Not only does this save time, but it also gives you a much stronger starting point than a competitor who doesn\u2019t deeply understand the problem you\u2019re solving.<\/p>\n

When\u00a0Groove<\/a>\u00a0(the startup I co-founded)\u00a0was first building our period tracker<\/a>, it was supremely beneficial that I just happened to be a member of our target market. It always annoys me when I can tell that a competitor app was built by a team made up of precisely zero of their customers (i.e. none of them have a period or female reproductive organs) AND they didn\u2019t do the work to understand their customers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying that men\u00a0can\u2019t build a great period tracker or that you can\u2019t build a great product unless you\u2019re solving your own problem, but it takes a lot more work to understand your market and make something amazing. Be prepared to face that.<\/p>\n

You Know You\u2019re Solving a Real Problem<\/h2>\n

Many first-time entrepreneurs make the lethal mistake of building a solution in search of a problem: I built this cool thing … now who can I sell it to?<\/i><\/p>\n

While this approach isn\u2019t necessarily doomed for failure, a lot of companies do fail because they simply can\u2019t find product\/market fit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Solving your own problem definitely won\u2019t eliminate the possibility of failure, but it omits a lot of the wondering about whether people actually want what you\u2019re making. If you<\/i> need it, you\u2019re almost certainly not the only one who does.<\/p>\n

In my case, there are tons of other period trackers out there, and I knew I wasn\u2019t the only one who just wasn\u2019t finding what I was looking for. Turns out, I was right. Our app has rave reviews, and I regularly get emails from grateful customers who love what we\u2019ve built. And it feels great.<\/p>\n

\"Feels<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll Build Smarter<\/h2>\n

Building a minimum viable product (MVP) is no small feat, and you can expect the level of difficulty to be compounded when you don\u2019t have a good sense of what your customers need.<\/p>\n

But when you\u2019re one of your own customers, it\u2019s easier to employ a lean methodology<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 you can be more confident when you\u2019re cutting the fat and deciding which features you need<\/i> to include in your MVP and which you can safely eliminate.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of features we could have included<\/i> in the Groove app, and dozens that other period trackers have that we don\u2019t. But since we built a product that solved my problem, I knew which features we didn\u2019t need at all and which we could do without in an MVP.<\/p>\n

There was a specific set of features we knew we wanted to work up to, and, interestingly enough, we\u2019ve only ever gotten requests for the ones we were already planning to add. We built smarter.<\/p>\n

\"Points!\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019re Working on Something You Care About<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m a huge advocate of investing your time in things that make you happy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve spent enough hours to last a lifetime doing work that I didn\u2019t find fulfilling. Working on something I love (which I do) not only makes me happier at work, but it makes every other aspect of my life better, too. When your problem is significant enough that you want to build a solution for yourself, you know you\u2019re emotionally connected to it.<\/p>\n

I love coming to work every day because I have a deep connection to the problem Groove is solving. I\u2019ve been in the same position as our customers.<\/p>\n

I know how frustrating it is using app after app and finding yourself constantly offended or annoyed by it. I know how disheartening it is to be chronically confused by what\u2019s happening in your body. And I know how good it feels to have those problems solved.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll Stick With It<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve already mentioned this, but it\u2019s worth mentioning again: building a business is flipping hard. Sooner or later, someone will probably tell you that your idea stinks. At some point, you may have to pivot. Eventually, you\u2019ll probably struggle to find new ways to grow and attract new customers.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll regularly be overworked or sleep-deprived (or both). And you\u2019ll undoubtedly \u2014 whether you\u2019re willing to admit it or not \u2014 have moments when you\u2019ll question your entire business … even if those moments are fleeting.<\/p>\n

\"Spongebob\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At least for me, having a mission that I\u2019m insanely passionate about has helped me overcome many of these tough situations. In those moments, I\u2019m able to take a step back, reevaluate the situation, and think about why<\/i> I\u2019m doing what I\u2019m doing.<\/p>\n

Having a connection with the problem Groove is solving helps me focus on what\u2019s important, instead of on the millions of minor things that go wrong every day. There are so many times that I\u2019m confident I would have given up if it weren\u2019t for solving a personal problem.<\/p>\n

Having an emotional connection with your work is a powerful thing. It adds a kind of determination that\u2019s otherwise hard to find. The kind of determination that comes only from solving a problem that speaks to the depths of your soul.<\/p>\n

So, go ahead: find a problem that speaks to you, build a freaking awesome solution, and change the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured image from Flickr<\/a>. All other images from\u00a0Reactiongifs.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When starting a startup, the best approach is often to “scratch your own itch.” Solving your own problem won’t guarantee success but does offer many advantages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":3722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[85,365,21,16],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Your Startup Should Solve Your Own Problem<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When starting a startup, the best approach is often to solve your own problem. 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