(The mathematical notation in the title means “’For all 𝑦 there exists a 𝑥’ is not the same as ‘There exists an 𝑥 for all 𝑦”.) We’re always on the hunt for the silver bullet. The Golden Ticket. The quick fix. Even when writing resumes. We tinker, we optimize, and we look for services to … Continue reading ∀𝑦∃𝑥 ≠ ∃𝑥∀𝑦: The Dangerous Misconception Founders Have About Their Market
Category: Market Analysis
ChatGPT: Goldmine or Minefield for Indie Hackers?
Everybody in the indie founder community is talking about ChatGPT. Some founders discover how powerful it is as a writing tool, others have it build their products, and some entrepreneurs are even building businesses on top of OpenAI's conversational chat-based AI. Beyond that, it's a meme now: everyone is talking about how everyone is talking … Continue reading ChatGPT: Goldmine or Minefield for Indie Hackers?
Find Business Ideas on Social Media
In my conversation with Daniel Vassallo this week, I learned that Daniel uses social media —Twitter in particular— to find inspiration for his own work as a teacher and content creator. Intentionally doomscrolling Twitter to come up with writing prompts and business ideas? Why not! If we consider this a strategic effort, not just wasting our … Continue reading Find Business Ideas on Social Media
Market Analysis for Calm SaaS Businesses
Few fundamental choices impact the trajectory of your business as much as choosing the market you’ll be operating in. If you get this wrong, it will mean pivots, corrections, and many stressful days. If you get this right, you will spend your energy on better things: growing your business, improving the product, and reaching new … Continue reading Market Analysis for Calm SaaS Businesses
Don’t blame the market; blame your marketing
Many unsuccessful founders believe their business failed because of a "market problem." They think it's "the market" that wasn't ready for their product or that "the market" made the wrong choice. This line of thinking is a dangerous —and most of the time completely false— perspective to take. It's not a market problem. It's a … Continue reading Don’t blame the market; blame your marketing
The SaaS Market Maturity Paradox
SaaS businesses are most impactful in entirely new markets and the markets they have been serving for a long time. Anywhere in between, starting a new SaaS business has the potential to create a product with reduced effectiveness. There is a "small improvement trap" in every industry that many SaaS business endeavors fall into. While … Continue reading The SaaS Market Maturity Paradox
Competition Isn’t Always a Business
When founders do market research, they are well-advised to look for competition. But many entrepreneurs have a very limited understanding of what "competition" means and therefore overlook many interesting — and often critical — competitors in their chosen markets. It usually goes like this: a founder spots a niche in the market they're interested in. … Continue reading Competition Isn’t Always a Business
Finding the Most Painful Problem in a Market
When you're looking at a niche market, you will find many people having a large number of problems. However, people will only pay money for a tiny subset of those: the excruciating problems. You can solve many problems but still fail to build a business if you're solving the wrong ones. Your chances of success … Continue reading Finding the Most Painful Problem in a Market
The Power of the Niche
If you were to found a company that makes and sells beer today, you would probably start a craft brewery. You'd start a small operation, find the people who enjoy your product and slowly expand your business. You would not try to compete with Bud Light and Heinecken for shelf space. You would prefer to … Continue reading The Power of the Niche
Continuous Validation: Staying in Touch with Your Market
I first felt that we truly had a validated business when we had our very first yearly subscriber. That level of commitment for a young product such as FeedbackPanda two months into our existence showed us that people wanted what we made and were ready to put their money on it. However, validation is always … Continue reading Continuous Validation: Staying in Touch with Your Market
