I have worked with dozens of tech entrepreneurs over the years, and the biggest challenge for many is zeroing in on a product.

Let’s assume you are starting a new company. You have your tech background (or maybe you’ve found a partner who has a tech background).

In today’s landscape, with AI at your fingertips, you can come up with hundreds of practically implementable solutions.

And better yet, you can probably launch them within a couple of months.

But still, many fail.

Why?

Let’s explore the dichotomy of this situation so you can make more informed choices for your company.

What the Customer Wants

The rule of thumb—or the agreed-upon approach—is “Never build what you want; build what the customer wants.”

In other words, it simply says:

Find a problem that the customer is having and is willing to pay to get rid of, and create a solution for that.

Which does make sense.

It’s the safe bet.

Yet, just because you have AI at your fingertips and the skill set to build a solution quickly doesn’t mean customers will buy your AI solution.

I brought this up in a previous edition: as an entrepreneur, you must not turn your startup into an expensive hobby. You must have a vision. You must know:

• What you are building
• Who you are building it for
• How much you expect to get paid for the solution
• Most importantly—if there is a customer base willing to pay that amount

Otherwise, you are just wasting your life, money, and resources—going on an ego trip, thinking you know what the customer and the market want.

So, problem solved?

Is it really that simple?

Hold your horses.

The Story Gets Complicated

Remember the famous quote from Henry Ford?

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

The same goes for all the industry giants shaping the world today.

What would have happened if Bill Gates had asked people what they wanted? The personal computer revolution would have been delayed by decades.

• Steve Jobs with the iPhone.
• Jeff Bezos with Amazon.
• Elon Musk with Tesla & SpaceX.

There are many such examples where the visionary saw something that the average joe could not envision.

The Dilemma

Now, on one side, you’re advised to find out what the customer wants and cater to that.

On the other side, we have these juggernauts who have shaped the world forever—by doing the complete opposite.

So, what is the correct path?

It All Comes Back to Your ‘Why’

I touched upon this in a previous edition. It always boil down to your ‘Why’, whether it is your career, business or life.

If we put all the cards on the table, it is true that most of you want to be entrepreneurs because you desire one or more of these:

• Control & Power
• Money
• Status
• Time & Freedom

All of these are excellent root factors for starting a tech company because if you truly want them, you will put in the work. You will build a company.

For you, the best bet is to go with “Build something that the customer wants.”

But then, there are a few who need something bigger.

(Maybe because of ego, or may be because of your Messiah Complex or maybe because of an inexplicable, unquenchable desire to change the status quo.)

For you, the best bet is to go big. Go crazy big.

People will not understand you. People will not support you. Some may even try to discourage you.

But that’s okay. If you are truly a visionary, then you need to go with your vision.

Henry Ford had the vision of motorized transportation. He refused to stick to the status quo of “having faster horses pull the carts.”

So, What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You?

What drives you?

You must sit down and think it through. You must be brutally honest with yourself.

This decision will make or break the future of your company.

More importantly, it will be the blessing or the curse that you put upon yourself.

Which path do you really want to take?

If it is the second path, then you need to be ready to be misunderstood, doubted and even ridiculed. You need to stick to your vision and keep reminding yourself

“those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music“