Your Startup’s Customers Don’t Want New Features, They Need New Solutions

I’ve Launched Enough Failed New Features To Know

Joe Procopio
6 min readSep 20, 2021

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Have you ever bought a product that you expected to be great, but when you used it you were really disappointed?

I know why this happens. I know because I’ve built awesome products that nobody wanted. In fact, I’ve done it enough times to know that when it happens, it usually comes down to the same problem:

The product was nothing more than a great collection of features.

Product Features vs. Solutions

  • A feature is something the product does.
  • A solution is something the customer needs.

When you read those most basic definitions, the gap between builder and customer becomes a lot easier to see. We builders have a tendency to build what we envision. And when we don’t check that vision with the customer, we end up with a product that does a lot of very cool things — none of which the customer wants.

That’s when you realize that the word “feature” is just a term we use to cover up that mistake. Then you can’t unsee it.

Poor Solutions Are Passed Off as Amazing Features Everywhere

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Joe Procopio

I'm a multi-exit, multi-failure entrepreneur. AI pioneer. Building TeachingStartup.com. Write at Inc.com and BuiltIn.com. More about me at joeprocopio.com