Why I'm no longer in love with my products

Ever thought, “What would I do differently if I could start over?” That’s been on my mind lately. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ No longer interested? [Remove yourself here from all my emails.]( Hey , Ever thought, “What would I do differently if I could start over?” That’s been on my mind lately. After selling UpViral and Connectio, I’ve had time to reflect (and travel the world with my kids, but that’s another story). Looking back, I realized something crucial: I used to fall head-over-heels in love with the product. Don’t get me wrong, it worked out pretty well 😅. Built a solid team of 45, had customers in 100+ countries, and had successful exits. But—and this is a big BUT—those businesses could have been much bigger. Here’s what I’m doing differently now: I’m shifting my focus from loving the product to loving the problem. Instead of getting attached to a cool product idea, I’m all about falling in love with the problem. Why the switch? When you’re in love with a product, you might not pivot fast enough when the market changes. But when you’re in love with a problem, you’re more adaptable. Every day, your focus is to solve the problem the best way possible (rather than making the product “better”). Think about it like this: What do customers want? A "good product", or their problem solved? Exactly 😎 I’ve learned (the hard way) that focusing on the problem makes it easier to create value and, let’s be honest, make more. Because the bigger the problem you solve, the more people are willing to pay for it. So, while figuring out what's next for me, I'm actively searching for a problem to solve. Practically speaking, this is what I do: 1: Stay curious Every day, I schedule time to read and listen to podcasts outside my area of expertise. 2: Keep track of all problems Personally, I write them in the sheet I shared with you a few days back. Search inside your email inbox for "remember me " to find that email with instructions to get the tool. 3: Score each problem For each problem, I write down things like... - 🤷 Target audience (who has this problem) - 😭 How high is the pain level? - 🔄 Is this an ongoing or one-time pain (so when solved, is it solved forever, or does it require an ongoing solution making it a better fit for a recurring business) - 💡 How difficult is it to solve the problem? - ✏️ What would a minimum viable product (MVP) loop like to solve this problem? How long would it take to create? - 🏰 Once the problem is solved, how defensible is it? In other words, will the market get flooded by competitors who can offer a similar solution? - 🤩 How exciting do I find this problem? (Again, all this is inside the tool I shared in the "remember me " email) Pro tip: Solve problems for higher-level customers. For example, when you solve the problem of getting started with FB Ads, you’ll serve customers who are just getting started. On the flip side, when you solve a problem that bigger advertisers have, they’ll pay more to get their problem solved. So, for all you entrepreneurs out there, here’s a tip: fall in love with the problem, not the product. It might just be the game-changer you need. Talk soon, Wilco [Wilco de Kreij] Thanks for reading ! 🙏 My mission is to give small businesses the marketing power of giants. Inside my emails, you’ll get proven best practices, innovative strategies and real-world tactics that I’ve learned in my businesses. Prefer not to receive these emails? No problem - you can [unsubscribe]( at any time. This email reached you at {EMAIL} because you signed up for my newsletter or purchased one of my products. You can always [unsubscribe]( or [change your details](. Emarky B.V., Gageldijk 21, 3602AG Maarssen, The Netherlands