When people talk about starting a business, everyone talks about product-market fit. Does you product satisfy a desire for a group of potential customers?
It's important for sure. If your product doesn't meet a need, no one will want to use it. But there are so many good ideas for products out there, and yet most startups still fail.
Why? How do you build a product experience so great people will tell your friends about it? Many people will tell you just need to grind harder, work more, and if your idea is good eventually you'll build a great product.
But this misses a key aspect. Let's call it Founder-Market fit. Are the founder's interests aligned well with the market they are diving into? It's a lot easier to put in the necessary work to launch a great product if you care deeply about the problem you are trying to solve.
If I had come up with the idea of Uber, I never would have been able to execute on it. Even if San Francisco I walk or bike most places rather than taking an Uber. Growing up in small town New Hampshire, transportation was never much of a pain point. I just don't care enough.
Caring is underrated. I think most businesses fail because the founder didn't care enough about the problem they were solving. What unique problems do you care about more than anyone else? Go work on that.
This post was inspired by this podcast.
