The most important business concept

Are you trying any new classes or new approaches this January??

In the spirit of the new year, I decided to try working from WeWork this month.?

I’ve been running my business, Tech for Non-Techies for almost 4 years, and have grown it entirely from home.?

My podcast is now listened to in 61 countries, and many of my clients are abroad, so clearly this strategy works. My team is also remote.

But the problem isn’t other people. It is me.

I began noticing behaviours that annoyed me.?

We all have those tasks that we don’t want to do (mine usually involve accounting), and when you are at home, it is too easy to fold some laundry instead.?

In December, my neighbour’s cat snuck into my apartment as I was about to have a call with the ex Chief Economist of Spotify. Instead of preparing for the call, I was chasing the meowing beast around my home.?

This is why, in January I decided to try working from WeWork. I’m now two weeks into the experiment, and I am delighted with the separation of church and state.?

There are no surprise animal visits or household distractions. My productivity has gone way up, and so has my pride in what I can do in a day.

WeWork solves a problem for me - the distraction of home, and thus it helps me be more productive.?

I didn’t join WeWork because I wanted to be in an office. I joined it because I wanted to be better at my job.

When we buy anything, we think about our problem first, and then reach for the solution. I am bored, so I watch The Crown on Netflix. I am thirsty, so I get a glass of water.?

A product is a solution to a problem that someone is experiencing.?

This is as true for a meal delivery app, as it is for licensing contract.

Customers never think of solutions first. They think of their problems.

But businesses usually think about their solution first and then try to make it attractive to the customer.

According to this Harvard study , 95% of products fail.?It is not because they are badly made, but because nobody needs them.

Whatever work you are doing, you are solving a problem for somebody.?

The more you understand the problem you are solving, and whom you are solving it for, the better your solution.

Try answering these four questions about your work, so you can think like an innovator:

1. What problem am I solving?
2. Who experiences the problem?
3. Are they the same person who is paying for the solution?
4. How important is it that the problem gets solved?

You can apply these questions when training a new Large Language Model, or when drafting a Shareholders Agreement. If you do, your customers will thank you for it.

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Do you want to learn new skills, expand your network and leave with an ambitious but realistic plan for 2024? The the Design for Growth workshop is for you!?

This workshop, held online on 28 January, will teach you to use Design Thinking to achieve any goal.?

Check out the details here .

If you’re considering joining this workshop, but have questions about it, just respond to this email.

Speak soon,

Sophia