Hey Reader,

Today, I want to talk about how to build a good solution.

A good solution solves users’ problems so well that they pay for it.

I wasted a year figuring that out. Ultimately, I built a bad solution that was too advanced and didn’t generate revenue. I spent a year working in a silo instead of launching and giving it to users right away.

Great solutions don’t come from pontification; they come from repetition and iteration. So launch fast and ask for feedback faster.

As Paul Graham says,

Great businesses solve problems

Our ability to solve users’ problems is directly proportional to our business’s success.

If we can’t solve problems, we don’t have a business.

In my first business, I was helping people transition into careers they were passionate about.

I had never done that, so I wasn't an expert.

I had trouble solving problems and never made more than $1k/mo.

Talk to your customers and solve their problems

As an entrepreneur, you own the solution. The user owns the problem. Talk to your customers to understand their high-value (High frequency, high pain, or both) problems. Then create the best solutions for their case.

The best way to build a solution is by solving your customers’ problems manually.

If you’ve solved the problem for yourself, you start with a huge advantage. Otherwise, solve the problem yourself, then walk someone else through it. You don’t have to have all the answers when you start. Guiding a client through the process shows all the key sub-problems for your solution.

As Paul Graham says

Don’t attempt to build the most advanced version on the first go. Focus on providing value rather than scalability.

For example, if you’re selling a weight loss program, go through the steps yourself. Develop your process by losing weight. Getting your hands dirty will teach you more than building an app to help others lose weight. You’ll understand how to

• Track calories
• Build meal plans
• Work out
• Stay consistent

Ultimately, you’ll understand all the challenges that clients go through.

To iterate, work with 5 clients. Understand and solve their unique challenges. This will not scale, and that’s okay.

Review your steps and automate the steps that you repeated. For example, if you made the same meal plan 5x, then standardize the meal plan. This will optimize your process. Keep iterating until you have a product.

Start simple and small

A solution should work on a 1:1 basis just as well as the scaled-up version - Calling a taxi is the 1:1 version of Uber. That’s why I recommend starting with a service business. Then, transition your service to a product once you understand the process better.

For example, DoorDash’s MVP was a landing page with screenshots of 8 menus in Palo Alto. They built it in 45 minutes.

They would take people’s orders over the phone and deliver them. Before they turned to an app, they did everything manually. This revealed the problems a driver would face. Allowing them to build their future product.

Be like DoorDash and start simple and small.

Become an expert by solving your clients' problems

• Talk to your users and identify their high-value problems
• Launch fast and ask for feedback faster.
• Develop your solution by getting your hands dirty.
• Start as a service until you can build a product.
• Your first version should be bad.
• You get good through iteration, not pontification.

If you want feedback or direction on your solution, reply to this message telling me what you're working on

​Here's my song of the week!​