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How to Decide What to Build

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Re: How to Decide What to Build

#31

Post by beachy »

jcadam wrote: post #23
goatherders wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because you learn something doesn't mean the time isnt wasted. If you try to make a business of it and it doesn't work...more wasted time. Wasted relationships. Wasted money. Wasted confidence. I'm all for the silver lining of having learned something. That's good for sure. But there are almost always costs when building anything from model cars to software applications.

> Wasted confidence. This is probably the biggest factor (money is the least). I've had numerous failed projects. I have a current project/business (it's in my profile) which I believe to be in the process of failing. I don't know if I have another one in me. Sure, I've learned a lot. From a purely technical standpoint, each new project has been superior to the one before - and in the case of my latest, I've at least…

Maybe (assuming you're in a startup) you could think of the corporate world as a sort of paid rehab. Go and hang out there for a year or two. Make some bank. Regain your mojo. You'll know when its time to quite the corporate job and return to the fray.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#32

Post by tropshop »

acconrad wrote: post #28

One of the points the author makes is that you should track the problems you have, and the ones that reoccur will be good signals to solve them. Does anyone else feel pretty content with what they have? Because this strategy I think Paul Graham has talked about in one of his essays for ideas. And to be honest, I do genuinely feel like I don't have much if anything to complain about, and so I can't really think of sta…

Did the massive regulation on the taxi industry stop Uber? If you build something people find genuinely useful, you will become a force that causes the market to adapt. Regulation follows innovation.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#33

Post by jeff_marshall »

jeff_marshall wrote: post #19
evancharles wrote: post #7

Customers are also a great source of project ideas. You can pick a customer, like "small business owner" or "wealth advisor," and interview them. My favorite question that leads to ideas is "tell me everything you did from when you started your day until now," and dig into all the annoying/painful things they mention.

This kind of question is a gold mine, IME. When I interview network protocol devs, my favorite question is: "tell me what happens between the time you type something into the address bar and when you see a result". so many opportunities to show understanding at various levels there.

The reaction here is interesting, but it won't change my opinion without concrete feedback. Please tell me why this opinion is wrong.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#34

Post by andai »

keithnz wrote: post #29

I've always had lots of ideas, just none I've wanted to follow through on, now I'm in the early stages of an idea I think will be useful ( at least it will be for me ). It's an idea that was simplified out of another idea that's just too large for me to tackle at the moment. In fact it's an idea that's been part of a variety of other ideas. It's also part of a number of other peoples products, and is probably one of…

Use C#.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#35

Post by sdoering »

ajdlinux wrote: post #30
acconrad wrote: post #28

One of the points the author makes is that you should track the problems you have, and the ones that reoccur will be good signals to solve them. Does anyone else feel pretty content with what they have? Because this strategy I think Paul Graham has talked about in one of his essays for ideas. And to be honest, I do genuinely feel like I don't have much if anything to complain about, and so I can't really think of sta…

Yep, you're definitely not alone here. I also find that sometimes I can think of problems that aren't really a single problem but a whole category of problems, and I have no idea which particular piece I'd like to break off, or any idea for a solution.

Exactly. Because breaking the law really shows your integrity.

Especially regarding food intake, where one un-hygienic perdon could endanger the lives of many.

Personally I like the idea of regulation to ensure a minimum level of quality and security. Look at the aviation industry. Just as an example. What do you think makes flying one of the safest methods of travel?

It is easy to dismiss regulations as hindering. But be prepared to have the consequences dealt with.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#36

Post by ehnto »

tudelo wrote: post #4

“everything in the world was created by people no smarter than you”. Is there actually any validity to that? Assuming you is a human of average intelligence...

I really don't think intelligence is the most important part of innovation. That sounds silly, and you obviously need some baseline of intelligence and having more certainly helps. But insights come from context and having the right dots to connect. Talking to the right people, knocking the right rocks together, reading the right books, and having the courage to act on the insights that show up.

Context and action seem to be the most important parts of innovation to me. The reason mathematicians come up with incredible and novel mathematics isn't because they were just more intelligent, it's because they were the ones looking and the ones who had spent time building up their knowledge around mathematics. They could have been just as intelligent but raised to work on a farm instead, having none of the dots, context or impetus to make novel connections in fields that seem driven by intelligence.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#37

Post by ryandrake »

acconrad wrote: post #28

One of the points the author makes is that you should track the problems you have, and the ones that reoccur will be good signals to solve them. Does anyone else feel pretty content with what they have? Because this strategy I think Paul Graham has talked about in one of his essays for ideas. And to be honest, I do genuinely feel like I don't have much if anything to complain about, and so I can't really think of sta…

Here’s some more trouble with that: if startups only solve problems that scratch a personal itch, we end up with 20 chat apps, 10 food delivery services, 5 bicycle rentals, Uber for maids, mobile dog shampoo services, basically startups that solve problems for 20-something urban tech workers. As others mentioned, better to find other people totally not like you and figure out what problems they have to solve. They may be boring problems too, but maybe you’ll stumble onto a totally unaddressed niche.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#38

Post by snitko »

acconrad wrote: post #28

One of the points the author makes is that you should track the problems you have, and the ones that reoccur will be good signals to solve them. Does anyone else feel pretty content with what they have? Because this strategy I think Paul Graham has talked about in one of his essays for ideas. And to be honest, I do genuinely feel like I don't have much if anything to complain about, and so I can't really think of sta…

This only applies to US and a bunch of other countries that would bother to enforce the law regarding cooking regulation. Most countries wouldn't really care as they have more important issues to solve than clamp down on innocent people making informed choices about their lives. So the idea isn't really bad.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#39

Post by rabidrat »

jeff_marshall wrote: post #33
jeff_marshall wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This kind of question is a gold mine, IME. When I interview network protocol devs, my favorite question is: "tell me what happens between the time you type something into the address bar and when you see a result". so many opportunities to show understanding at various levels there.

The reaction here is interesting, but it won't change my opinion without concrete feedback. Please tell me why this opinion is wrong.

I think your comment is being downvoted because it's irrelevant. The discussion is about "how to figure out what to build" and you pivoted to an interview question you like to use. So it's wrong conversationally, not factually.

Re: How to Decide What to Build

#40

Post by pryelluw »

acconrad wrote: post #28

One of the points the author makes is that you should track the problems you have, and the ones that reoccur will be good signals to solve them. Does anyone else feel pretty content with what they have? Because this strategy I think Paul Graham has talked about in one of his essays for ideas. And to be honest, I do genuinely feel like I don't have much if anything to complain about, and so I can't really think of sta…

I don't normally talk about this, but here is what you are missing:

Businesses that make (real) money revolve around one of two ideas:

- They sell shovels

- They are middlemen (middlepeople?)

They sell shovels.

This is stolen from the old saying that during the American gold rush the people who made the money were the ones selling shovels. Or facilitating others to go and do what they wanted (in this case, chase a wild dream).

Uber, the example you used, sells shovels. It lets people make money from their car. Real money. Not peanuts. Your idea to sell food to neighbors didn't have the potential to make much money. You weren't selling shovels, you were selling work (cooking is hard work).

Now, let's take your current business (which you list in your profile). You sell shovels because you help companies get what they what in terms of engineering management (lots of money to be made there). Better engineering processes usually trickles down into the finances. In a way, you are selling money.

They are middlemen.

A middleman is someone who simply takes a cut for facilitating something. They import beer from somewhere else and by doing that they jack up the price a little bit and resell it to you. This is a very straightforward mechanic.

Amazon is one of the best middlemen out there right now. It even changed the game by reducing the friction in selling online. Their whole "fulfilled by Amazon" approach is a classic middlemen tactic.

Middlemen sell the idea that they make getting what you want easier.

How to apply this to software

Selling shovels: Build a product that makes people money. Ecommerce is still growing. Do something there.

Be a middleman: Find something to facilitate. Look for inefficiencies. How? Listen to complaints. People love to complain to someone who listens. Make some contacts on social media and listen to people. They will show you the way.

One last thing: don't be stupid. Big ideas are tied to a big ego. You are not Musk, Jobs, or Gates. Who cares?! Look for small ideas that you can execute well. And then execute, not for passion or ego, but as a grind. Like a regular job. Because that's what it is. Good luck.

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