Lesson 1: Find a problem, not a Solution
The first step to building something is determining what you are going to build. But this isn’t as simple as many may think. The idea you choose to pursue will account for a large part of the success or failure of your product.
Right this second, I want everyone to kill any idea they came into this program with. Why? Because starting with an idea is a huge red flag and despite what many people say - having an idea is not the first step.
The first thing that everyone must complete is to think of a problem. By starting with a problem and not a potential solution, you will be much less likely to build something that doesn’t really serve a purpose or that may solve a problem but that problem may be so minuscule that you have trouble getting people to convert.
Thinking of an idea comes later: when you know a problem that you are going to solve and when you know the reasons why that problem is a problem in the first place.
Your assignment for the next four days is simple, I want you to make a list of problems that you are passionate about solving. Use a Google Sheet with two columns, in the first list all of the problems you can think of that you are passionate about solving. In the second column rate each problem on a scale of 1(not that passionate) to 10 (the purpose of my life is to solve this problem).
That’s all for now. Feel free to share your list of problems with me, I would love to see what people are coming up with.