A business starts with a problem, not a product

THE IDEA

Most new businesses stall because they start with a product and then go looking for a problem. Reverse it. Pick one problem you understand, find one person who has it, and offer the smallest thing that helps. Deliver it once, learn, and improve. A business is a promise you can keep again and again, not a perfect plan.

WHERE TO BEGIN

List problems you have seen up close, at work or in your own life. Choose the one you could help with this week, not next year.

THE FIRST VERSION

It only has to work once, for one customer. Sell the outcome, deliver it by hand, then decide what to automate.