Pick Your Market Wisely: When Even Great Offers Fail

A skilled software entrepreneur spent years pitching small newspapers on digital ad solutions, certain his offer was unbeatable. The price was fair, the value clear, and he poured effort into sales, but demand shrank each year. Frustrated, he doubled down, tweaking features and guarantees. Eventually, he realized the hard truth: his customers, the newspapers themselves, were dying out. He switched focus to an exploding demand in pandemic supplies and, using the same skills, sold millions. The lesson hit home—no offer, no matter how irresistible, can succeed in a market on the way out.

Smart business builders first hunt for 'starving crowds'—those who already want, even need, a solution now, not those who might someday care. Success comes when problems are acute, people can pay, and you can actually find and talk to them. Niche hopping may feel appealing, but sticking with a viable, if challenging, audience is almost always better than starting over. Scientific research on market selection and pattern recognition supports this: survival is likeliest not from innovation alone, but from serving urgent, unserved needs where demand exists.

Before you deepen your next big move, pause and rigorously check if people in your chosen field are truly hungry for what you solve—are they searching, buying, complaining, desperate? List your ideal customers' pains, make sure they can pay, and join their online hangouts or meetings. Once you're sure, stay the course and get to know every nuance of their struggle. You'll save years of frustration and focus your creative power where it counts.