Identify exactly who will love your product

Imagine you’re walking through a farmers’ market with dozens of stalls but no clue which veggies to pick. Instead of grabbing random tomatoes or zucchinis, you stop and ask the woman next to you what she’s here for. She’s a chef, she says, and she needs the ripest heirloom tomatoes for her specialty sauce. That moment of zeroing in transforms your entire trip: now you know which stall to visit, and your shopping list comes alive.

The same principle applies to launching a product. Many entrepreneurs dive straight into ‘what product should I sell?’ without ever defining who they’re really serving. They end up with random ideas that might appeal to no one. But by pausing to ask real people in your own circles about their pains and purchases, you switch from guessing to targeting. Suddenly your product isn’t just another option—it’s the exact item they’ve been waiting for.

Here’s the nuance: you’re not just solving a generic problem, you’re solving it for one defined group. If they say, “I need lightweight gardening gloves that don’t snag,” your product is that very glove. And when those first shoppers rave about it, they don’t just buy once. They come back for your next solution—be it knee pads or seed organizers—because you’ve answered their deepest needs.

This approach taps into identity theory, a psychological framework showing that people buy products that reinforce their self-concept. By aligning with a clear community—gardeners, students, parents—you’re not just creating a transaction; you’re inviting them to join a brand community. That sense of belonging is what turns casual buyers into devoted repeat customers.

You’ve defined your group and uncovered their shared pain point, so now it’s time to act swiftly. Reach out to ten people in that group and ask them to benchmark the next product you’re planning: tell them exactly what problem it solves and let them decide if they’d be first in line to try it. Then, collect their feedback and compare it to your prod list. You’ll know you’ve hit the right note when they eagerly ask, ‘When can I get one?’ Give it a try tonight.