“They will love it, when they see it. And they will realize that this is just what they have been waiting for.”
Trying to build something for a market that’s nascent is super hard on so many levels. Yet, it is also one of those areas where time and time again, I meet founders who seem determined that their novel idea is going to take the world with storm, once they unleash it.
It is almost as if the future customers have just been waiting for this new breakthrough. Without knowing it of course.
Reality is it seldom happens that way.
Breaking into a new market let alone creating a new market and a demand in it is super, super hard. And founders who think it’s just a matter of making the technology work are doing themselves and their chances for success a big disservice.
Because what you’re up against is the most dreaded practical barrier of them all:
Good enough.
While they may not be using the optimal solution today, maybe what they have just works for their needs.
Maybe they have become so accustomed to nothing happening in this particular space, that they have stopped looking or even hoping for something better.
Maybe their habits are just so engrained in them that the very thought of doing something in a novel way is somewhat frightening.
The point is that there could be a lot of reasons but that the end result is the same – for the time being:
What I have is good enough.
Overcoming that dreaded barrier is not only a question about making technology work. It is also – and perhaps to some extend more – about packaging it right, getting the message right and getting it out there in front of future customers using the right channels at the right time.
And so much more.
The real important lesson here is that although the opportunity can seem huge, and there seems to be a big void in the market for something new, getting something new going in that void is going to take skill, experience, muscle (aka money) – and some degree of luck.
Don’t ever underestimate that job.
(Photo: Pixabay.com)