Be Passionate about Solving Problems.

By: Guy Pistone

Rethinking Passion in Entrepreneurship

"Embrace problem-solving with passion, rather than strictly following your existing routines." that's Guy Pistone 's advice . He took time out of his 2023 holiday season to share some tips on problem solving. Things he's learned after 10 years of solving problems in industries like Healthcare, FinTech, Software Development, and so on. So, straight from the horse's mouth, tips to problem solving.

The oft-repeated advice for entrepreneurs to "follow your passion and create something you love, so work feels like play" sounds appealing. It suggests that if you pick a venture related to your interests, your enthusiasm will keep you going, even in tough times. However, I believe this advice is somewhat unrealistic and not the best guidance for entrepreneurs, particularly those aiming for highly ambitious, scalable ideas.

The Entrepreneurial Reality: Market Needs vs. Personal Passion

For a startup to succeed, several critical factors must align:

• There must be sufficient market demand.
• You need exposure to that market without depleting your funds.
• Your product or service must align with the market's needs, without breaking the bank.
• Making the right decisions, among other things, is crucial.

Adding the requirement of being passionate about the concept further complicates the path to bringing your startup idea to life. Choosing an idea solely based on passion might lead you down a path with limited market demand, thereby limiting your growth potential.

Shifting Focus: Problem-Solving as a Key to Success

A more effective approach is to cultivate a passion for entrepreneurship itself or, even better, a passion for problem-solving, regardless of your prior background or passion for the problem. By adopting this mindset, you're more likely to select ideas that already have market demand and develop a passion for solving the associated problems. This approach allows you to tune in to the broader universe, freeing you from the constraints of tunnel vision fixated solely on your specific passion-driven idea.

Adapting and Innovating: A Personal Reflection

If you can be passionate about challenging yourself and overcoming the hurdles to turn your business idea into reality, you're on the right track. When I started Fitivity over a decade ago, I was fascinated by geolocation technologies, like Foursquare, which had gamified location check-ins. Being an obsessed basketball enthusiast and athlete, I wanted to leverage geolocation technology to help basketball players organize pickup games, something I was deeply passionate about (and doing through SMS texting since an early teenager).?

I spent five years and raised over $150,000 from multiple angel investors to build this vision. Throughout this period, I had over 50 interns over to my small Worcester, Massachusetts apartment. Their task was to meticulously scour Google Maps, identify basketball courts, capture screenshots, record geopoints, and input all this data into a custom content management system. The goal was to create a platform for players to easily find and organize games at their preferred courts (which parks at the times didn’t list courts, you had to manually find them).?

However, despite all the effort, the application gained no traction. It turned out that the concept required a significant behavior change for basketball players, who preferred playing within their existing pickup groups.

I spent years trying to force this idea into the market, but it never took off. It wasn't until I shifted my focus to what was working, particularly video training content, that I began to find entrepreneurial success. I found my passion evolve into solving problems and optimizing key business metrics, like retention and conversion rates. Following what worked and solving significant problems became my entrepreneurial journey.

In retrospect, I realized that chasing what works and finding passion in addressing substantial challenges were far more rewarding than merely following my initial passions. If I had embraced this approach from the start, I might have accumulated more wealth and knowledge than I possess today. The lesson learned is clear, and I'll never look back.

Work with Valere to Embrace Challenges Beyond the Norm

I'd like to emphasize that some problems are undeniably worth tackling, even if they prove to be persistently challenging and seemingly absurd. Many of the world's social and environmental issues fall into this category, and they are not only deserving of our passion but also demand our unwavering commitment, regardless of the difficulties they present. These challenges are the exceptions to the rule.

Valere takes great pride in in tackling exceptionally intricate and advanced problems. Do you have any tech problems we can solve?

Schedule a call with us today to learn how we can help your team create the perfect software or application that can accelerate your business goals!

Valere is an award-winning digital transformation, innovation, and software development company. As an expert-vetted, top 1% agency on Upwork, Valere has re-invented the way software design and development agencies operate - mitigating issues related to communication and process inefficiencies while partnering with clients to architect the right solution for the right problem.

Valere utilizes emerging technology in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable startups and enterprise businesses alike to execute, launch, and scale their vision, transform organizations, and build something meaningful.

Valere has built over 300 successfully launched applications –ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies! Valere has experience developing for both consumer and B2B audiences across a myriad of verticals such as healthcare, finance, sports, fitness, education, and more!

Valere has a successful track record of building applications that have yielded millions in revenue, downloads, and Venture Capital— while also getting apps featured by the New York Times, Apple App Store top featured apps, TechRadar and Google Play Store top featured apps!

The Valere team consists of expert engineers, project managers, designers, and quality assurance specialists, with offices in the United States, India, Croatia, Peru, and Uruguay.

Schedule a call with us today to learn how we can help your team create the perfect software or application that can Accelerate Your Business Goals!