9/16/2004

Rule #1 - Fill an Unmet Need

This post from Dave Pollard elaborates on the following theme:

"Entrepreneur Magazine lists 'find a need and fill it' as Rule #1 for business start-ups. Chuck Frey's 'Innovation Tools' says these six words lie at the root of any business success. It's the most important business advice you can give.

But what does this mean? It means that every successful enterprise's offerings (products and/or services) meet four criteria:

They fill an unmet business, social or consumer need.

The enterprise understood why the need wasn't already being met, and overcame those obstacles.

The enterprise has the competencies to effectively create and deliver offerings that fill that need.

The enterprise has the resources to bring those offerings to the marketplace.

This may sound like a simple recipe, but it's actually quite difficult to achieve. "