Your Solution (or Category)

Your Solution (or Category)

You chose your ideal customer and his problem. Now, you need to figure out how you think that you can solve it.

The key here is to find what direction you are heading. What category of solution you are pointing people to, not a product, that comes later. If your customer's problem is his girlfriend not liking his beard, you could help him with different types of solutions.

• Shaving

• Electrolysis

• Relationships Advice (finding a girlfriend that likes your beard)

So what do you think your solution and category is? Which one?

There are often different ways to solve every problem. If your ideal customer needs a job, you could teach him to start driving for Uber, coach him through a college degree, or write him the perfect résumé. But how do you choose the best category?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Talk with people

2. Find online communities

3. Try and fail

Let’s look at each.

Talk with People

People love to talk. And when they do, a lot of complaints and questions pop up. You can use their words to spark ideas and clarify what problems they have. If you have some experience with the topic, you’ll have good advice to share.

Spending time discussing the problem will often reveal a solution.

My favorite way to have customer conversations is called the “The 4HL Method” or the 4 Helpful Lists.

You ask 4 questions:

• What’s right?

• What’s wrong?

• What’s confusing?

• What’s missing?

By doing an interview with your ideal customer and asking them these questions about either your idea or existing products you can find a treasure chest full of useful information.

Let’s do an example about shaving.

Here are some possible answers from customers.

1. What’s right?

"I like when razors give a close shave without causing nicks or irritation."

"Having a razor that's easy to grip and maneuver around my face is great."

"I appreciate razors that stay sharp through multiple uses."

2. What’s wrong?

"Buying razors in-store is too expensive, especially for good quality."

"I often forget to buy new blades until it's too late and I'm stuck with a dull shave."

"The big brands seem to charge a lot just for their name, not necessarily for a better product."

3. What’s confusing?

"There are so many types and brands of razors, it's overwhelming to choose."

"I don't understand why some blades are so much more expensive than others."

"The difference between a 5-blade razor and a 3-blade isn't clear to me."

4. What’s missing?

"A convenient, hassle-free way to get new razors without having to remember to shop for them."

"An affordable subscription service that delivers high-quality razors directly to my door."

"More transparency about what makes a good razor and why some are priced the way they are."

The end result? (of this pretend scenario)

Someone decided to create a Shave Club.

Find Online Communities

Talking to people one-on-one is great but time-consuming. You can also stalk—I mean explore!—online communities discussing your customer’s problem. Seeing discussions in bulk helps you spot patterns faster than in individual conversations. Where these conversations take place doesn’t matter—as long as members discuss your problem and your ideal customer hangs out there.

Don’t stop with the obvious social media platforms. Explore niche-specific communities, too. Here is a quick list of places to get you started. As you go down this rabbit trail, also check out the resources that community members recommend.

• Facebook

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

• Reddit

• Quora

• Medium

• Substack

• Mighty Networks

Find the active communities, add value, interact, and spot the patterns while you search for solutions.

Try and Fail

How I wish I could save you the horror of trying and failing. But when building a business, you’ll have to suffer through it.

You’ve got to try your solutions and fail until one works. Providing answers, helping for free, and checking results is the only way to validate your hypotheses.

Too often, we want to get paid for unproven concepts. But without evidence, you can’t inspire confidence in your solutions, and you can’t be sure you aren’t making stuff up. Free trial runs help you prove that your solution works and give you excellent testimonials for marketing.

If it doesn’t work, try a different solution. It took me one and a half years to nail my company’s solution, but it was worth the wait. I know the customer, the problem, and my solution backward and forward.

You can, too.

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