What Problems Can We Solve?

There’s a lot of conversation and noise going on right now about pivoting...changing course because we are forced to do something different, mainly a different job or perhaps a different kind of work altogether. We are definitely immersed in interesting times. 

Some see this challenge of a forced pivot as a problem, perhaps even a dire emergency if faced with little or no income and an uncertain future. It can be quite scary for sure. But we could also see it as an opportunity...a chance to calmly reflect on what we’re capable of and what value we might bring to the table, albeit in many ways a new table.

So, here’s a simple exercise which will hopefully help put the fear aside (where it belongs because it’s not useful at all in solving this sort of problem) and bring clarity to your value opportunity. 

First, create a list of problems you can solve for someone. Don’t hold back, nothing is too dumb, trite or obvious. There are no bad ideas (that’s a made-up fear in our heads). The list should be quite lengthy for most adults (and even kids). And yes, yard work makes almost everyone’s list.

Second, determine which of these ideas someone (perhaps only one person) might pay you to do.

Third, choose five or ten of the paying gigs which interest you and align with your purpose and core values. This is important. So, write out next to those how the idea supports your purpose and core values. Then, build a mini business model for each one. This includes the minimum audience you need to make it viable, how to reach and earn enrollment from this audience, the resources (cash, equipment, etc.) you need and any additional help or skill development you might need to get this idea off the ground. This shouldn’t take long, perhaps ten minutes for each one. You’re not making this for a bank presentation...just for you at this point.

Now, choose one or two which seem the most doable and flush them out further. A this point, consider sharing your work with a coach or an advisor (not friends or family) so they can ask the questions you haven’t thought of yet. 

So, with a few hours of invested time, you’re much better prepared to decide whether to pivot (or not). And if you choose to change course, it’s with intent, based on purpose and has a plan...instead of being controlled by fear. At a minimum, you’ll have a list of all of the problems you can solve. So, why not start one or two regardless? The key is to move forward by choosing to start. Choose wisely.

Keeping It Going

What’s the price of keeping the argument going? What’s the cost of stopping? When you look at the absolute truth of the matter, the only logical choice is to stop.

Being right is often too expensive…and not the best solution given the people involved. Leaders figure this out in advance and find creative ways to compromise…a skill definitely worth learning.

Ignore Old Problems...Find New Ones

Historically, most markets were constrained by geography and the lack of portability of what was on offer. If you were a blacksmith, you worked for your town and the occasional passer through. And there wasn’t much demand for shipping because it was easier to replicate the work than to move goods. Same goes for the modern lemonade stand. One shop for the visitors to your corner of the neighborhood. Another one for the neighborhood next door.  

It took a while but two things eventually happened. People learned you could charge a premium for higher quality and unique products...which created choices. People like choices. And modern transportation and the internet solved the constrained market problem…these products could now be had anywhere. People like immediacy and convenience. These trends created tension for some and possibility for others. The people stuck on solving old world market problems with old world marketing failed. The others ignored the old problems and started solving new ones.

If the market is constrained by virtue of what is on offer, i.e. a restaurant or a gas station, not only do you need to solve how to earn enough trust to create loyalty from your neighbors. But you also need to solve how to become a destination to attract people from outside the neighborhood. How does the choice become compelling enough for people to consider and then make the journey?

Or if your offer is transportable, an ebook or a widget, how do you gain attention and earn trust in an increasingly crowded and expanding universe? How do you find and connect with the person who seeks precisely what you have made, even if you only need a few?

But what if you could remove all of the constraints, solve the problems of transportability, immediacy and could reach anyone that wanted one? What if you could create a new problem to solve? What if you were Dream Pops?

You can be…you just need to solve new problems differently.

What Does Success Look Like?...no numbers allowed

Often I get bogged down in the minutia when trying to solve problems. After a while I remember to ask myself this question. And it works every time. It really clears things up. It resets my mind and gets me focused on a clear goal. In terms of marketing and more specifically spreading the word I ask these additional sub-questions...

• Who (what type of person) am I trying to reach? What inspires them?
• Why do they want to hear from me?
• Why would they support me (and my purpose)?
• How do I earn their trust?
• How can I connect with them?

This helps me get a real clear picture of who my prospective audience is, where they live, work, play and how they feel. Notice I don't ask how old they are, what zip code they're in, or how much they earn. Take triathlons as an example. If I were developing or promoting a race and limited the characterization of my audience to the old fashioned demographic profile I'd likely miss some prospects. If I focused on older, higher wage earners who lived nearby, I'd miss the younger, newbie crowd who'll take a road trip for just about anything. Albeit a smaller portion of the pie, this unrealized slice of the audience is important…in fact very important…to me and my race. So why leave them out?

Take special note that I didn't define success as a number. Because success isn't a number, it's a relationship. And you don't define or characterize a relationship with numbers…you do it with feelings. Numbers are indeed important. Numbers are required to make something sustainable. But numbers are a yield, based on the success or failure of the relationship. Unfortunately, too often we still confuse the "success" part of the question to mean "how many"...how big is the audience?…which really means how many can we sell? Because if we don't sell X we can't make money. On the heels of this strategy is the mass market promotion in HOPES of getting a small percentage to buy. Unfortunately, you annoy (and alienate) all of the people who don't want to hear from you and you leave out some of your best prospects...who didn't fit into the misguided demographic profile. This is no way to build trust. And certainly no way to build an audience of loyal raving fans. Now, if this isn't what you're after, go for it. Otherwise, spend more more time defining what success looks like, without numbers.