The most important lesson I’ve learned for developing new products:
You don’t have to be the first person to come up with a product idea.
In fact, that will rarely be the case.
But you can almost always make an existing idea better.
And that’s when you get the big wins.
The most important lesson I’ve learned for developing new products: You don’t have to be the first person to come up with a product idea. In fact, that will rarely be the case. But you can almost always make an existing idea better. And that’s when you get the big wins.
Brand innovation doesn’t happen overnight and just like ‘going viral’ is not a strategy. Focus instead on creating a useful product for your target customers and continuously talk to/ engage them. As Paul Graham (of Y Combinator) says: it’s better to have 10 customers who love you, than a 1,000 customers who kind of like you. So look for those 10 c... See more
Imad El Fay • You don’t need a better product to succeed in D2C
You don’t need a better performing product to gain market share. Focus on improving a few features and start catering to an early niche. Iterate and improve as you grow.
Imad El Fay • You don’t need a better product to succeed in D2C
The lesson: Because of the above, the way to find good ideas is to go back in time
Anthony Pompliano • Writing for Leverage, Teenage Billionaires, The Problem with Mainstream Media, and More - David Perell on Off the Chain, Hosted By Anthony Pompliano • Podcast Notes
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the companies that have a reputation for building the best products of this generation—Slack, Figma, Superhuman, Notion, and Linear—are basically new versions of successful predecessors. These companies didn’t distract themselves with four-step strategic maneuvers or clever wedges into a new category that they ... See more
Benn Stancil • Why Are We Surprised That Startups Are So Freaking Hard?
"Ideas are easy. Turning them into a successful product is hard."
- Jeff Bezos https://t.co/iPKRfpAZkX
Being incremental wins every time vs. trying to get everything right off the bat.
Jason Barron • The Visual Mba: Two Years of Business School Packed into One Priceless Book of Pure Awesomeness
Everyone wants to have a unique idea but the alternative is to just to be ten times better. The market is full of crap. An underrated way to succeed at anything is simply to be better. Anyone can build a "quick and dirty" tool to chat with your PDF. Few people can build incredibly polished products. And those that do need time, effort, and intentio... See more
Things I'm thinking about
Every big idea was small first. If you don’t start small, if you can’t help people one by one, you will struggle to build a business around your idea. Leave your ego at the door, set aside your concerns about funding and software, and focus on your first customers, using your time and your expertise to solve real problems for real people.