Fact: Most people do not want to solve problems, be it theirs or others. They want the solution presented succinctly and clearly.

Let’s face it, solving problems is hard. You must deal with uncertainty, set aside large amounts of time dedicated to working through a solution, and sometimes you don’t find a solution!

That is why the rewards in our society go to those people who solve problems. The more people that experience the problem you are solving and the greater they value a solution, the more you will be financially rewarded for your solution.

In my experience, entrepreneurs that come from more of a salsey/mba background tend to feel like they need to figure out a sneaky way to make money quickly or they will try to build a product that is incrementally better than an existing solution.

Avoid this path. Instead, focus on creating new solutions that are 10x than the existing solution (which sometimes can be nonexistent). Focus on the value you are providing and how many people value that solution, not monetization.

Elon Musk Solves Problems

This is an awesome PandoMonthly interview where Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, Tesla, Space X, and more explains his approach to entrepreneurship and the outstanding problems that need to be solved in the world. I highly recommend it. It was the inspiration behind this post.

What programmers do.

I think programmers have a great approach to problem solving. When you are first learning how to code, you basically ask the instructor a lot of questions, along with your peers.

At some point, you realize that the instructor will not always be there and you must figure out certain bugs on your own. You need to read through StackOverflow posts, forum posts, blog posts, and read the computer’s output in order to fix the bug.

You learn how to solve your own problems to create a program which hopefully solves problems other people experience.

What most people do.

Most people will whine and complain when problems present themselves. They will ask around on internet forums for solutions, ask friends, and eventually might say they don’t have the knowledge or skills to solve the problem.

I was reading through the r/startups threads the other day and there was a question from a user asking advice as to the best way to go about acquiring customers for his or her business.

When you’re starting out, you think there is a predefined answer for these kinds of questions. What you begin to realize is that part of building a business is answering these questions yourself and solving these problems. No one can do it for you.

Don’t get me wrong, asking for advice/help after you’ve exhausted other mediums is fine, but it should not be your go-to option.

What you should do.

What’s interesting is that everyone eventually buys solutions from other members of society. This is how capitalism works.

The important thing to keep in mind is that only by seeking out unsolved or poorly solved problems and creating solutions that are 10x than the existing solution, will you generate real value in the world and then be able to monetize that value.

Thoughts for Job Seekers

The ability to solve problems is an incredibly valuable skill for job seekers. Seth Godin has some great thoughts on this in the video I’ve included below.

My Question For You

What stage are you in your business? What problems are you solving?