Solve Real Problems

[tpjay]

I haven't solved any real problems myself, yet, but Jeff Hoffman has and has done quite well. He gives sound advice on how you should approach the world as a problem solver. Jeff has also been on my journey to breaking down old beliefs. I am posting this here because people in this forum might find this helpful on their journeys. Jeff is basically paraphrasing the Needs Commandment MJ discusses, but it always help to experience through various stories of how to find needs. Jeff speaks about finding a need using complaints and pains he had experienced. I hope you enjoy this talk.

I've been on and off on the forum and hope to be around more now and in the future.

 

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[stefanoesposito]

Thank you for this video! I'm in a "looking for needs" phase, have a great day.

 

[100ToOne]

Great post.
Basically TMF in action.

 

[mikey3times]

Great video, but be careful.

I'm in a "looking for needs" phase

Don’t spend forever looking for the perfect solution or you’ll be watching these videos forever. Start something.

I haven't solved any real problems myself

Have you ever had a job? Then you’ve solved a real problem. Nobody is giving you money unless you solve a problem. Give yourself some credit.

If you’ve had a job, you’ve probably also DISCOVERED a bunch of problems that need solving. At the very least, you have some ideas about how to solve the same problem better, faster, cheaper, etc.

The guy in that video didn’t discover a new problem that needed to be solved. There was already a way to get your boarding pass. Instead, he created a way to get your boarding pass faster. Listen carefully, “it is just a printer.” He has the same solution (a printer) but he did it better.

 

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[rpeck90]

Great video, but be careful.



Don’t spend forever looking for the perfect solution or you’ll be watching these videos forever. Start something.



Have you ever had a job? Then you’ve solved a real problem. Nobody is giving you money unless you solve a problem. Give yourself some credit.

If you’ve had a job, you’ve probably also DISCOVERED a bunch of problems that need solving. At the very least, you have some ideas about how to solve the same problem better, faster, cheaper, etc.

The guy in that video didn’t discover a new problem that needed to be solved. There was already a way to get your boarding pass. Instead, he created a way to get your boarding pass faster. Listen carefully, “it is just a printer.” He has the same solution (a printer) but he did it better.

THIS. If we had the rep bank still, I'd have sent some.

The video is amazing, but - and don't know if this is just me - makes me feel apprehensive watching it.

As you mentioned, the guy in the video hit a home run. His pain point was so vivid and pronounced that for any seasoned entrepreneur, it was a win-win scenario. Everyone "got it" and he was able to cash out. Good work.

Whilst this is the dream, reality is different. It's long hours, typically working on some obscure issue preventing the company from being launched. It could be paperwork, government regulation, production, R&D, or - as I imagine in the case of this guy - integration into the airport's booking system.

MJ calls it the "commandment of entry". Business literature calls it "barriers to entry". The point is that whilst what the guy in the video stated is emphatically true, it may not be as clear cut as he explained. Having a cure for cancer is based on the assumption that you actually do have said cure. Sure there's a need... but is the solution something you are realistically able to deliver? Apart from running out of money, my observation is that most new businesses fail because they are simply unable to deliver what their audience thinks they're going to receive.

My point is that whilst this stuff is obviously important to watch, like the post above, you shouldn't worry too much about finding a huge "home run" pain point. That comes after you've built up your tolerance to failure & risk. All the most effective entrepreneurs I've met have all developed rhino skin which makes them impervious to opinion. They built this through failures, risks and successes.

This allows them to sit down, recognize a major problem like the one highlighted in the video, and then pursue the ONE thing that's prevented others from doing it (ignoring 99% of the issues newer entrepreneurs succumb to). In the case of the boarding pass product, it's likely that the guy had to determine how he was going to get it to automatically check passports/ID's, whilst also integrating into the airport's booking system. How this was achieved, I have no idea. Beyond the product itself (which - as mentioned - is just a printer), this is where the value was created, and what the company was paid to deliver.

 

[lydialeads]

MJ calls it the "commandment of entry". Business literature calls it "barriers to entry". The point is that whilst what the guy in the video stated is emphatically true, it may not be as clear cut as he explained. Having a cure for cancer is based on the assumption that you actually do have said cure. Sure there's a need... but is the solution something you are realistically able to deliver? Apart from running out of money, my observation is that most new businesses fail because they are simply unable to deliver what their audience thinks they're going to receive.

My point is that whilst this stuff is obviously important to watch, like the post above, you shouldn't worry too much about finding a huge "home run" pain point. That comes after you've built up your tolerance to failure & risk. All the most effective entrepreneurs I've met have all developed rhino skin which makes them impervious to opinion. They built this through failures, risks and successes.

Rhino skin - love that!

A friend of mine said to me the other day that if we were able to separate our emotions from our living corpse, then life would be much easier to deal with. But we're human, not robots, so emotional reactions are inevitable. But as MJ mentions in Unscripted , as entrepreneurs, the "F*ck this" event (FTE) should spark change and it's all about the process: "that pursuing the dream is the dream itself. It's the process. The failures, trials, and tribulations." This develops rhino skin.

 

[Martin Galli]

I think this is the best way of finding business ideas.
Thank you! @tpjay
If you have more valuable information on how to find business opportunities, please share, I'm currently struggling with this and I want to get ahead...

 

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[Michael Ankrah]

I think this is the best way of finding business ideas.
Thank you! @tpjay
If you have more valuable information on how to find business opportunities, please share, I'm currently struggling with this and I want to get ahead...

What’s the update now Martin?