> The business I work for isn't revolutionary or anything, but the owners have decades of experience in it so they know the market.THAT'S how.
Or at least, that is one of the more reliable ways.
Of course, a plan that starts out "First, spend a couple of decades learning everything about a particular niche market... " isn't, by definition, a recipe for overnight success.
Nevertheless, you will have to become some sort of expert in your chosen market, or someone who is one might eat your lunch.
If you're creating a new market or category, you are by definition the expert, but that doesn't mean you will succeed, because perhaps you're an expert in a market that doesn't really exist, or is too small or too hard to monetize to support your business model.
You can start with a problem you see (or think you see) 'in the wild' (sharing files with friends is too hard), or you can start with a particular type of user (people who have an extra room to rent out), or you can start with an industry (eg. home landscaping).
But you almost certainly shouldn't start with the solution (although as technologists we are often sorely tempted), no matter how cool, except in the case where the user is themselves a technologist.
Anyway, starting with one of "I want to solve $PROBLEM" or "I want to help people like $NAME" or "I want to create solutions for $INDUSTRY" and you won't go too far wrong as long as you keep examining and testing your assumptions.
THAT'S how.
Or at least, that is one of the more reliable ways.
Of course, a plan that starts out "First, spend a couple of decades learning everything about a particular niche market... " isn't, by definition, a recipe for overnight success.
Nevertheless, you will have to become some sort of expert in your chosen market, or someone who is one might eat your lunch.
If you're creating a new market or category, you are by definition the expert, but that doesn't mean you will succeed, because perhaps you're an expert in a market that doesn't really exist, or is too small or too hard to monetize to support your business model.
You can start with a problem you see (or think you see) 'in the wild' (sharing files with friends is too hard), or you can start with a particular type of user (people who have an extra room to rent out), or you can start with an industry (eg. home landscaping).
But you almost certainly shouldn't start with the solution (although as technologists we are often sorely tempted), no matter how cool, except in the case where the user is themselves a technologist.
Anyway, starting with one of "I want to solve $PROBLEM" or "I want to help people like $NAME" or "I want to create solutions for $INDUSTRY" and you won't go too far wrong as long as you keep examining and testing your assumptions.