Ask HN: How to find problem worth solving today?
27 comments
IMO a lot of problem worth solving are not tech problems but social problems. Adding up new techs won't change much. If we are looking for problems that are more or less tech-driven, I'd recommend spacefaring, unsolved Math problems and such.
We kinda went the other way. We started by finding a client, solving their problem, moved on.
Finding clients (people who will pay) was hard work. (Everyone has problems, not everyone will pay for the fix). Over time we started turning our solutions into products, and eventually two gained enough traction so we gradually stopped taking on new problems, and worked more on growing those markets.
The first 7 years or so were "low income". Once we found our niche though we've enjoyed nice consistent growth. Best of all we never took on debt, or had external investors to worry about.
This approach (known as "bootstrapping") won't make us mega rich. We're comfortable, and retirement is sorted, but I won't be flying private.
There are other approaches you can take. VC for example offers a very different model either different outcomes and challenges.
To answer your question more directly - tech can't tell you the problems. Only people can do that. Go talk to people I thr real world. Everyone has problems. The trick is finding those who will pay to solve them.
Finding clients (people who will pay) was hard work. (Everyone has problems, not everyone will pay for the fix). Over time we started turning our solutions into products, and eventually two gained enough traction so we gradually stopped taking on new problems, and worked more on growing those markets.
The first 7 years or so were "low income". Once we found our niche though we've enjoyed nice consistent growth. Best of all we never took on debt, or had external investors to worry about.
This approach (known as "bootstrapping") won't make us mega rich. We're comfortable, and retirement is sorted, but I won't be flying private.
There are other approaches you can take. VC for example offers a very different model either different outcomes and challenges.
To answer your question more directly - tech can't tell you the problems. Only people can do that. Go talk to people I thr real world. Everyone has problems. The trick is finding those who will pay to solve them.
How would you go about trying to find such clients, if you were starting over today?
We've been trying to tap into our networks and Upwork, but we're struggling to find regular work from good clients.
We've been trying to tap into our networks and Upwork, but we're struggling to find regular work from good clients.
Not an expert on this but organic grow is slow but the best type, IMHO. You do great work, client hires you again and puts a good word for you with their network. Next thing you know, you're refusing work. It takes a while though.
The initial clients might not be as profitable for you, but if you look from their perspective, they are taking a chance on you so lower prices are justified. Hopefully they contribute to make your network larger and bring more jobs.
The initial clients might not be as profitable for you, but if you look from their perspective, they are taking a chance on you so lower prices are justified. Hopefully they contribute to make your network larger and bring more jobs.
I had a similar experience, for the 2nd time now.
I started solving my own problem, and that got me talking to people about the problem, and then I realized their problem was much bigger and more important than mine.
The first time, I didn't love the problem, we did ok with it, but we didn't pay enough attention to the user, as we wanted to find a better use case in the same space. The company was acquired, so not a loss, but not a big success.
This time, we love the problem (sleep),love the customer (the sleep deprived), and this continues to lead into more and more opportunities.
I started solving my own problem, and that got me talking to people about the problem, and then I realized their problem was much bigger and more important than mine.
The first time, I didn't love the problem, we did ok with it, but we didn't pay enough attention to the user, as we wanted to find a better use case in the same space. The company was acquired, so not a loss, but not a big success.
This time, we love the problem (sleep),love the customer (the sleep deprived), and this continues to lead into more and more opportunities.
Talk to people. Literally anything that can save people money or effort is worth doing, no matter how niche.
I just spent the morning building a tool that can probably save me and all of my friends hundreds of dollars per year, simply because I asked and gathered information. That scales up!
I just spent the morning building a tool that can probably save me and all of my friends hundreds of dollars per year, simply because I asked and gathered information. That scales up!
> Talk to people
Besides finding out if anyone actually is willing to pay for your solution, I think it also makes the problem bigger for you.
The advice is often to just scratch your own itch but, to be honest, my problems aren't that big to justify the many hours I'd have to put into automating them, for example. I can usually find a workaround or just live with the problem, no biggie. But if more people have the problem, then suddenly the impact is greater which may provide more motivation for certain people.
Besides finding out if anyone actually is willing to pay for your solution, I think it also makes the problem bigger for you.
The advice is often to just scratch your own itch but, to be honest, my problems aren't that big to justify the many hours I'd have to put into automating them, for example. I can usually find a workaround or just live with the problem, no biggie. But if more people have the problem, then suddenly the impact is greater which may provide more motivation for certain people.
Curious. What does the tool do?
Nitpick:
"the problem worth solving and that drives you to start a company"
Sure YC is all about getting startups on their feet. So don't be embarrassed that is 1st thought.
BUT: starting a company is just 1 way of working on a problem. And not necessarily the best way.
Another option is joining others already working on said problem (or closely related ones). That could be existing company, non-profit, online community, etc.
What matters most to you? Starting a company (and work on problem from there)? Or work on problem, period? Answer to that may help decide what's the best path.
"the problem worth solving and that drives you to start a company"
Sure YC is all about getting startups on their feet. So don't be embarrassed that is 1st thought.
BUT: starting a company is just 1 way of working on a problem. And not necessarily the best way.
Another option is joining others already working on said problem (or closely related ones). That could be existing company, non-profit, online community, etc.
What matters most to you? Starting a company (and work on problem from there)? Or work on problem, period? Answer to that may help decide what's the best path.
I think many people idealize starting their own company because it means you're not on someone else's chain, though taking on debt and giving out equity constrains that. People want to solve problems and also not have to deal with a dickhead boss
If the only tool you had was a hammer, you're probably too smart to look at every problem like it was a nail.
Any other problem is likely to be wildly inappropriate.
So that would really limit the kind of problems you are equipped to address.
You probably have numerous technical resources and not just a hammer for tools, and you probably don't want to use a hammer (that often) during your technical efforts anyway ;)
You can hit the ground running and work within the toolkit you already have. You can become more competent with those tools, and hopefully the problem-solving process itself. One of the most worthwhile talents to develop is always being able to make the most of the tools you have at the time.
Or you can stretch your capabilities and add to your toolkit so you can reach goals you could not do otherwise. This will be time not spent directly solving your major problems, but it can be worth it.
Either way I would carefully consider hundreds of potential problems where solutions are within reach before selecting one which was worthwhile enough to build an entire business around.
The business part of the business needs to be a thing you really want to get up every day and do.
>global warming, pollution, war, excessive concentration of wealth and poverty, housing, reactionary attacks on education, inefficient food distribution, and cancer.
These are the ultra-problems that may always be out of reach for you or your career trajectory. Regardless, it's best if you don't do stuff that makes this kind of thing worse. Also maybe it's best if your problem solving ability prepares you for ultra-problems anyway, in case the opportunity or calling presents itself. You may or may not maintain readiness to jump into something big full-time like that, but with a little light effort over the long run, you can make sure not to rule it out. Keep your options open and broaden your horizons and you'll have more possibilities to choose from.
Any other problem is likely to be wildly inappropriate.
So that would really limit the kind of problems you are equipped to address.
You probably have numerous technical resources and not just a hammer for tools, and you probably don't want to use a hammer (that often) during your technical efforts anyway ;)
You can hit the ground running and work within the toolkit you already have. You can become more competent with those tools, and hopefully the problem-solving process itself. One of the most worthwhile talents to develop is always being able to make the most of the tools you have at the time.
Or you can stretch your capabilities and add to your toolkit so you can reach goals you could not do otherwise. This will be time not spent directly solving your major problems, but it can be worth it.
Either way I would carefully consider hundreds of potential problems where solutions are within reach before selecting one which was worthwhile enough to build an entire business around.
The business part of the business needs to be a thing you really want to get up every day and do.
>global warming, pollution, war, excessive concentration of wealth and poverty, housing, reactionary attacks on education, inefficient food distribution, and cancer.
These are the ultra-problems that may always be out of reach for you or your career trajectory. Regardless, it's best if you don't do stuff that makes this kind of thing worse. Also maybe it's best if your problem solving ability prepares you for ultra-problems anyway, in case the opportunity or calling presents itself. You may or may not maintain readiness to jump into something big full-time like that, but with a little light effort over the long run, you can make sure not to rule it out. Keep your options open and broaden your horizons and you'll have more possibilities to choose from.
1. Ignore the trends. That means stop thinking about AI, because it’s already saturated with wannabes.
2. Listen to what people are complaining about. You two choices here: real offline problems like transportation and housing or low risk vanity bullshit like the things people whine about on social media.
3. Build an original solution. Keep in mind if it’s original it will be hated until it isn’t. If it’s precise and high quality it will alienate contribution from incompetent people.
4. Don’t give up. Your solution exists because there is a real problem that you just solved, but people only generally want comfort and convenience. New things scare and confuse people.
2. Listen to what people are complaining about. You two choices here: real offline problems like transportation and housing or low risk vanity bullshit like the things people whine about on social media.
3. Build an original solution. Keep in mind if it’s original it will be hated until it isn’t. If it’s precise and high quality it will alienate contribution from incompetent people.
4. Don’t give up. Your solution exists because there is a real problem that you just solved, but people only generally want comfort and convenience. New things scare and confuse people.
May I inquire where you are (as in what country)?
Because all of the G7 are in debt and drowning fast.
So the balance sheet is the place to look. If in the USA, McKinsey has a excellent report called The Digitization Report, which looks at the tech enablement on an Industry level. The usual suspects are trailing: healthcare, education and government.
On a related note, small government offices (think water boards and fire fighters etc) in the US suffer from frequent fraud. They don't use credit cards or they use them inappropriately. A tool to stop such misuse would be very helpful...but can you get them to use it?
On the impact side, are you trying to be Bezos or Musk? Both Billionaires, both exceedingly valuable impact, different fields of endeavor.
Bezos gave the World upto 2+ hours back per week and Musk forced a conversation that car crazy America was loathe to have...both high-impact (which is all this answer is about ..not their politics or what-have-you).
Cities and towns have huge problems bringing business back. VCs are shutting down valuable startups because they didn't go vertical. Airplane was shutdown because they believed the new narrative that AI would soon make them obsolete. I think that was a mistake. The average SMB isn't bothering with AI...and who can blame them? It's an error filled mess. But they all (some 500K) need help automating because hiring is harder than ever and employees are expensive.
Instead of shutting down, it could have been the next Basecamp or RedHat. A slow consistent grower which provides steady tech-related employment which the US desperately needs in states other than CA. Most of which have better cost of living and metrics in every other measurement as well.
A tool which calculates which state has the best incentives and the best packages for employees moving? A Teleport x MainStreet combo??
Because all of the G7 are in debt and drowning fast.
So the balance sheet is the place to look. If in the USA, McKinsey has a excellent report called The Digitization Report, which looks at the tech enablement on an Industry level. The usual suspects are trailing: healthcare, education and government.
On a related note, small government offices (think water boards and fire fighters etc) in the US suffer from frequent fraud. They don't use credit cards or they use them inappropriately. A tool to stop such misuse would be very helpful...but can you get them to use it?
On the impact side, are you trying to be Bezos or Musk? Both Billionaires, both exceedingly valuable impact, different fields of endeavor.
Bezos gave the World upto 2+ hours back per week and Musk forced a conversation that car crazy America was loathe to have...both high-impact (which is all this answer is about ..not their politics or what-have-you).
Cities and towns have huge problems bringing business back. VCs are shutting down valuable startups because they didn't go vertical. Airplane was shutdown because they believed the new narrative that AI would soon make them obsolete. I think that was a mistake. The average SMB isn't bothering with AI...and who can blame them? It's an error filled mess. But they all (some 500K) need help automating because hiring is harder than ever and employees are expensive.
Instead of shutting down, it could have been the next Basecamp or RedHat. A slow consistent grower which provides steady tech-related employment which the US desperately needs in states other than CA. Most of which have better cost of living and metrics in every other measurement as well.
A tool which calculates which state has the best incentives and the best packages for employees moving? A Teleport x MainStreet combo??
One approach I like to consider, a Gedankenexperiment, is thinking about your local square mile and how were X number of dollars spent in this region on Y time frame, perhaps today, last year, this decade and their why. The square mile isn't a hard metric, it can be bigger if you're more rural or smaller if urban but one question I think is how were a million dollars moved in this region and how quickly? Who is spending money and why? Can these costs be improved and so on. It helps going on google maps and scouting out your area for businesses and figuring out how they stay afloat and their why. If you want to integrate AI into the mix, you can bounce ideas off GPT-4 to play as devil advocate to see if the movement here makes sense and how it might play out in the future.
In my experience and opinion, you may have experienced certain problems yourself or may be a related problem to something else or may have seen others struggling with a problem that you really hate. This is when you have an opportunity to solve it. You cannot just guess or validate by asking others.
Depends on your definition of "worth solving".
If the goal is profit, follow the trends, add AI to everything and claim that your new tech will save lives.
If the goal is to improve society, the biggest problems we are facing now are the result of too much tech. Find a way to do less with less in an acceptable way. The ideal tech is one that does just what we need but using a fraction of the energy we currently use.
If the goal is profit, follow the trends, add AI to everything and claim that your new tech will save lives.
If the goal is to improve society, the biggest problems we are facing now are the result of too much tech. Find a way to do less with less in an acceptable way. The ideal tech is one that does just what we need but using a fraction of the energy we currently use.
Follow your interests, your curiosity, your frustrations.
In the meantime, build a strong technical foundation (e.g., CS, math, etc.).
In the meantime, build a strong technical foundation (e.g., CS, math, etc.).
Finding a problem worth solving is indeed a crucial step in starting a successful business, especially in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. In the end, I think combining technology-driven insights with your own experiences and insights can lead to the discovery of meaningful problems to solve.
I'm in healthcare. I find the best problems that are worth solving are the ones that come directly from the patients themselves. Perhaps it's the same in other industries.
The more problems you solve, the more likely you solve one that is worth solving.
The hard part is solving problems. Talking about problems is easy. Good luck.
The hard part is solving problems. Talking about problems is easy. Good luck.
Automated landmine detection and marking. Aquafarming fish health monitoring. Insect detection and mitigation in horticulture.
Find a profitable tech business, do it better and cheaper with AI and "steal" their customers.
I am currently building my third product. The idea "seed" for the third product came about when I was at a SaaS conference and met a developer influencer-person. He also runs a Ruby on Rails recruitment agency and was asking me if my current product could solve a problem he has been having.
I kinda filed that conversation in the back of my mind. A month later I met a father of one of my children's friends. He happened to run a recruitment agency and that idea popped up in my head so I asked him what he thought of that issue. He told me he has had the issue and knew of a handful of other agencies having the issue.
I asked if he would pay for the solution and threw out "$200/month" as an idea and he said it was a nobrainer.
Enter, my new product.
TLDR? Talk to people and learn what issues they have and find one they are willing to pay to make go away.
My tip? Focus on B2B. Follow the money.
I kinda filed that conversation in the back of my mind. A month later I met a father of one of my children's friends. He happened to run a recruitment agency and that idea popped up in my head so I asked him what he thought of that issue. He told me he has had the issue and knew of a handful of other agencies having the issue.
I asked if he would pay for the solution and threw out "$200/month" as an idea and he said it was a nobrainer.
Enter, my new product.
TLDR? Talk to people and learn what issues they have and find one they are willing to pay to make go away.
My tip? Focus on B2B. Follow the money.
Reading your post, it reads like decision paralysis has set in since you are running yourself in a circular loop.
You had something in mind, build some discipline, learn how to rationally analyze the prospects and the risks/competitors (risk management), and then do something about it as a Proof of Concept to see if its viable. Rinse repeat.
That is literally the easy part, but hardest for most people today.
There are plenty of nearly impossible problems to solve. Just read Mises work from the 1930s on Socialism to get a solid good idea about recognizing those problems. Most costly failures aren't that they fail outright, but that they fail slow and indirectly (after you've invested far too much). Set limits where you cut your losses ahead of time.
You had something in mind, build some discipline, learn how to rationally analyze the prospects and the risks/competitors (risk management), and then do something about it as a Proof of Concept to see if its viable. Rinse repeat.
That is literally the easy part, but hardest for most people today.
There are plenty of nearly impossible problems to solve. Just read Mises work from the 1930s on Socialism to get a solid good idea about recognizing those problems. Most costly failures aren't that they fail outright, but that they fail slow and indirectly (after you've invested far too much). Set limits where you cut your losses ahead of time.
There are multiple ways:
1. Solve your own problem first: As you rightly mentioned, solving your own problem first is helpful. If there are millions like you who are facing the same problem and are willing to pay for your solution, you have a business. If it is a recurring problem, you have a bumper business.
2. Observe market trends: Changes in purchasing power, changes in expectations of needs and wants, changes in human behavior over time, geo-political events, climate change, natural and artificial calamities, etc usually create new markets. For example, having a smartphone was more of a "want" than a "need" a decade ago. But today it has become a necessity.
3. New technology on the block: Big businesses drive new technologies and the new technologies then drive small businesses. This has always been the case. We saw it in the mobile revolution how Apple and Google came up with the AppStore and the PlayStore respectively and we are witnessing it today in the LLM models. These marketplaces allowed several unicorn "app" businesses to flourish. In fact, just adding a GPS tracker in smartphones, ended up creating more value in the business world than the App Store and the PlayStore themselves.
4. Regulatory, Statutory, or Govt policy changes: A lot of times these changes create unexpected new markets. For example, think about the EU mandating companies to adhere to GDPR guidelines in 2018. It must have suddenly created openings for hundreds of thousands of data privacy officers. Any company that spent time learning the guidelines and providing training, coaching, and certifications would build a big business. The same goes for companies providing consultancy on implementation gaps, verification of controls, etc.
5. Taking bets on smaller markets: Smaller markets are usually not on the radar of the tech giants, but if you have a conviction that the market is going to grow rapidly, it is totally possible to build a big business in it. One such example is Uber. As per their first investment raise pitch deck in 2008, the predicted TAM for app-driven cab-hailing business was $4.2B[1]. Today Uber itself is a $100B+ giant along with several other players operating in the market.
This is a framework I use. If you think there are more such ways to identify business opportunities, please add them to the list. I hope you find this useful.
[1] https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/uber-pitch-deck-2008/79...
1. Solve your own problem first: As you rightly mentioned, solving your own problem first is helpful. If there are millions like you who are facing the same problem and are willing to pay for your solution, you have a business. If it is a recurring problem, you have a bumper business.
2. Observe market trends: Changes in purchasing power, changes in expectations of needs and wants, changes in human behavior over time, geo-political events, climate change, natural and artificial calamities, etc usually create new markets. For example, having a smartphone was more of a "want" than a "need" a decade ago. But today it has become a necessity.
3. New technology on the block: Big businesses drive new technologies and the new technologies then drive small businesses. This has always been the case. We saw it in the mobile revolution how Apple and Google came up with the AppStore and the PlayStore respectively and we are witnessing it today in the LLM models. These marketplaces allowed several unicorn "app" businesses to flourish. In fact, just adding a GPS tracker in smartphones, ended up creating more value in the business world than the App Store and the PlayStore themselves.
4. Regulatory, Statutory, or Govt policy changes: A lot of times these changes create unexpected new markets. For example, think about the EU mandating companies to adhere to GDPR guidelines in 2018. It must have suddenly created openings for hundreds of thousands of data privacy officers. Any company that spent time learning the guidelines and providing training, coaching, and certifications would build a big business. The same goes for companies providing consultancy on implementation gaps, verification of controls, etc.
5. Taking bets on smaller markets: Smaller markets are usually not on the radar of the tech giants, but if you have a conviction that the market is going to grow rapidly, it is totally possible to build a big business in it. One such example is Uber. As per their first investment raise pitch deck in 2008, the predicted TAM for app-driven cab-hailing business was $4.2B[1]. Today Uber itself is a $100B+ giant along with several other players operating in the market.
This is a framework I use. If you think there are more such ways to identify business opportunities, please add them to the list. I hope you find this useful.
[1] https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/uber-pitch-deck-2008/79...
Problems still outstanding in need of solution: global warming, pollution, war, excessive concentration of wealth and poverty, housing, reactionary attacks on education, inefficient food distribution, and cancer.
Good luck with that.
Good luck with that.
How about a client-side autocorrect so we don't have to suffer posts made in OP's second language?
I know there are many ways to find the problem worth solving and I believe its best to solve your own problems first, but just thinking how can I approach it now and if I can find it faster with new tech.