3 builders who never spoke to each other

Grade how much the problem hurts before building

Rank a candidate problem on how sharply it bites and how often it recurs, because a daily unavoidable chore and an annual annoyance support completely different businesses. Painkillers sell themselves and vitamins have to be argued for, which sets both the price and the marketing bill.

The method

1. 01

   Grade the intensity of the problem you are solving before building - whether it needs morphine, aspirin or a vitamin - because that sets both what buyers will pay and how urgently they look.

2. 02

   Factor in how often the pain recurs, not just how sharp it is - a daily irritation and an annual one support very different businesses.

3. 03

   Grade a problem on two axes before building: how often the customer hits it, from several times a day to once in months, and how much it hurts when they do.

4. 04

   You can build a business on a nice-to-have, but a product that removes real pain is far easier to sell, so weight your idea choice towards the painkiller.

5. 05

   Build the painkiller, not the vitamin: something that removes a real cost, not something that makes a good situation marginally better.

What it returned

• Framing Justin credits to Patrick McKenzie and Michael Buckbee.

• Jeremy Hageman's point, contrasting commuter traffic with filing income taxes.

• The prompts ask about frequency, how acute the pain is, and whether the customer's life or business can function normally without it fixed.

• Failing to solve a real problem is named as one of the commonest reasons a business dies.

Sources

• Not all products make good businessesJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Not all products make good businesses · undated
• What type of pain is your business solving?Justin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · What type of pain are you solving? · undated
• The Bootstrapped Founder Newsletter Episode 12 – January 31st 2020 – The Bootstrapped FounderArvid Kahl · thebootstrappedfounder.com · Dear founder, · 2020-01-31
• Micro-Education Businesses: AI Assistants, Micro-Courses, Content-Format Fit - Trends.vcDru Riley · trends.vc · 🔥 Hot Takes · 2023-08-23
• 42 Questions to Ask Before Starting a BusinessPreetam Nath · preetamnath.com · Is this a real problem that needs solving? · 2021-01-10
• How I found and validated good product ideas quicklyLuca Restagno · solopreneurtofreedom.com · Find better product ideas · 2023-12-03