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Paul VanZandt

What's the right balance of customer centricity?

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There are a lot of debates in the startup community on how much you should cater to the needs of the customer vs. focus on your niche and ignore expanding to different needs. I personally feel that customer input is always important as a place to start, but it can't be the only thing that guides you. You need other sources of inspiration and creativity to make something truly unique and valuable. What do you think the best balance is? Let me know down below!

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Kevin Xu
I think customer input can come in two forms. They tell you their problem and sometimes they tell you how to solve it. Listen to their problem but solve it yourself. Maybe your solution is the same, or maybe you'll give them something they didn't even know they wanted.
Paul VanZandt
@kevinxu3 That's an interesting way to look at it Kevin - I appreciate the input. I guess at the end of the day, all startups are solving customer problems through their own unique solutions!
sushil
Always listen to customers. But don't build what the customers say, rather build what the customer needs. Sometimes, some sort of adjustments must be made w.r.t the business needs, but still, don't give in too much. To say in simple words: Build on behalf of the customers.
Paul VanZandt
@sushil_kumar_ Love this reply Sushil - You especially can't build everything the customer asks for when they're a free customer. Money talks!
Carmela Padasas
I've taken some examples, you might want to consider these: Believing in your product is vital, a mindset that a maker should require. Also, heavy market research on your niche while finding your branding is needed in your validation phase. Depending on their niche, I think there will be a trial and error for this question. For example, this product hunt. They could have catered to developers and entrepreneurs only, but to complete the needs of SaaS startups, they need VCs, marketers, and tech enthusiasts to help them, but all parties get what they want. Also, a new startup just launched "tandem," an app featuring automation and transparently shared expenses between spouses, but it could also be for friends and small business partners. But I realized, different problems may arise along the way from different niches, so you need to add and add features that might not be sustainable. Weigh the pros and cons, like legal actions differ from small businesses to spouse relationships. Let's also take Meta, according to a movie I forgot the title of. Mark catered first to college universities. So, for me, establish how you will give solutions to one niche before you extend help to others. NAIL ONE NICHE FIRST! Let me know if this helps.
Paul VanZandt
@carmela_padasas This totally helps! I think understanding the perfect niche and prioritizing their needs is definitely an important route to take. How to reach them is the next big step! Also - the movie is "The Social Network" - great movie!
Ariq
I like to start with getting a good understanding of business goals, customers' needs and pain points, but then I also like to branch out and explore different sources of inspiration and creativity. Like, for example, looking at trends in other industries, or experimenting with new tech. In general, it's all about finding the sweet spot when it comes to customer centricity. Of course, you want to make sure you're meeting the needs of your customers, but you also don't want to be too focused on them to the point where you're not focusing on important business goals and not able to create something truly innovative and valuable.
Paul VanZandt
@ariqnnrrs I completely agree - balancing business goals and customer needs is super important and, if you're looking in the right place, business goals and customer needs should be fairly aligned.