Ignore that advice at your own peril

I am obsessed with the question: "What is the problem you are solving?” so you can imagine my delight when I heard Kevin Systrom, the co-founder of Instagram, say that that same question the advice that he gives most often and that most often it gets ignored.

I agree. It is sad to see that. The moment that question is not answered and the answer is not validated is the moment your startup idea / your project / [fill in the blanks] DIES.

It is harsh and I know how difficult it is sometimes to pin the answer to that question but trust me, it works.

Elon Musk when talking about one of the big successes of his spaceship program said that the team spent the most time in figuring out what is the problem they were solving. Once they got it, the rest was easy (i am tempted to say: the rest was not rocket science).

Figuring out the problem you are solving goes hand in hand with the question: Who has this problem? If you nail the answers to these two questions, you’ve got it. The chances are you will be able to find a solution and decide what is the best way forward.

This advice is applicable regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur or working in a corporate. Identifying the problem, the anxiety someone has and trying to relieve them of it is the first step to success. The reason why so many people ignore it is because it requires focus on the other person. It requires forgetting for a moment about your ego and your wants and placing all your attention on the other person.

So, in summary if you do one thing only, please answer the question: WHAT PROBLEM AM I SOLVING AND FOR WHOM?

And if you are up for it....

to ensure that you actually do that, I would challenge you to write down when and where exactly you will do it. For extra accountability, perhaps you can put it in the comment sections below.