How to be a True Problem Solver
A short guide
If you Google important soft skills, or even generally valuable skills in the world today, one of them would be problem solving. It sounds like a simple buzz word, but if you think of it, its actually very relevant.
Imagine if you want to lose some body weight, and exercising on your own in the past. Then you decide to go to a gym, and they give you a personal instructor, put you on a diet, and recommend supplements. With everything you get to do at the gym, the supplements you’re now taking, and your change of diet, you just want one result — to lose weight. If its not achieved, all the fancy service would be for nothing, because your problem isn’t solved.
Every person who wants to create value in some way must solve a problem. Even by working a 9–5 job, you’re helping your company solve a problem. If you give a customer/audience something you call ‘value’ and their problem significantly reduces or disappears, then you’re a problem solver (if that solution has proven effective consistently).
Today, many new apps, websites, products and services are being created today with the goal of solving a problem. Sadly, many of them are half baked because of certain mistakes made or things overlooked by the company/individual creating these solutions.
If you truly want to make a difference by creating something that solves a problem, here are three rules to follow when doing so:
1. Do thorough research
Don’t assume something is a problem just because a few of your friends identified it as one. If you want to create any solution, search online, ask people, and be sure that it’s a relevant solution, and there are actual people/businesses in need of it. In Nigeria for instance, I used to think no company provided the opportunity to invest in real estate, like in stocks, and get annual returns. But when I did my research and asked a few questions, I got the name of a few of such companies. Problem solved.
Creating a potential solution is a big deal. If you’re not bringing anything unique, you might just be crowding the market more (especially when it’s not a monopolistic situation there). Also, make sure the people you want to solve a problem for will pay for your product. A potential market should be big enough to cover the cost of the solution.
2. Collaborate when you need to
This is for you if you want to start something from scratch or already have a business going. Don’t be that entrepreneur who thinks a partner will ‘always slow them down’. Some of the best solutions can only be provided when two or more heads come together. A lot of fintech solutions in Nigeria today wouldn’t be where they are if they refused to partner with a commercial bank to accept deposits from customers.
You cannot always provide a solution to an audience on your own. Get a loan if you need to, partner with a more established company for their expertise and resources, connect with another startup in your industry, you get the point. Remember, the goal is to solve a problem, to meet a need, for the benefit of future customers. When don’t the right way, you’ll always get your profit, and credit too.
3. Remember it’s not about you
At every stage of creating a product to solve a problem, always remember who you’re doing it for — the customer. So if you decide you want to handle every stage of the process — even when you know you can collaborate with someone else to make the end result even better — then you might just be selfish. To create the best solution, you must always do what is best for the customer, even when you don’t agree with it.
Also, always check in with your customers that your solution is still relevant to them. Some creatives start a YouTube channel, and after a while, majority of their audience request that a few other topics be introduced as well. If they completely ignore this request, in a short while, they may have a less attentive audience.
I know it’s not wise to veer a business strategy in any direction as the customer requests. However, your solution/offering must be nimble enough to adapt to dynamic customer preferences.
Don’t forget — If the solution was for you, you wouldn’t need an audience/customers in the first place.
Thanks for reading!
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