Lessons - Love The Problem, Not The Solution | Uri Levine - Author, Entrepreneur, and Disruptor

In this lessons episode, you will discover powerful insights on navigating startup failures and finding true purpose in entrepreneurship. We explore how identifying a real problem and staying committed to it can create a roadmap for success, even when facing setbacks. Learn how to assess when it's time to pivot or let go and why falling in love with the problem, not the solution is key to building lasting impact. And let's ask you something about about failures because you mentioned something very important failing fast. So in that in that startup that failed, how did you know when it was time to call it? How do you fail fast? How did you fail fast? So let's separate between shutting down a company and failures or errors or mistakes throughout the journey. Because the journey is very important in the sense that you have everything that you would have in your roadmap. For me, it's a list of experiments that you're going to conduct and you will try with the first one that you think that is going to work and you will end with the first one that is actually working. There is a nice story that I heard about LinkedIn. I don't know how it is but for a second I would say let's assume for a second that it's true and if it's not true, then assume that it is true for the sake of the discussion. When LinkedIn started, they actually had 30 features that they wanted to develop and they basically said this is the minimum product and when they started to meet investors, everyone told them that 30 features is way too long and they need to reduce that list to less than that and they ended up with a list of 10 features that they said this is we cannot even launch the product without those 10 features. Obviously, LinkedIn started and eventually they were becoming public and then acquired by Microsoft and then becoming public again but the first time that they went public, how many of those 10 features they actually developed? And the answer is one, just one. So in that sense, they were lucky that they figure out the first feature that they need to develop at the beginning. I don't know how true this story is but for the sake of the discussions, let's assume that it is. The roadmap is eventually a list of features that you are going to develop. In each one of them has an objective to figure out product market fit and if they do, then the product development is done and if they're not, then you try another one. And that is the important part of the failures. So you don't stick with something that doesn't work. You keep on trying, you keep on trying different things. For the question, when do you know that it's time to shut down a company? Well, you eventually fall in love with the problem and once you start to build your team, this is your mission in life. You will never give up and never giving up. Reservance is the most important behavior for an entrepreneur. Not necessarily of a CEO, but for an entrepreneur, they don't give up. And if you would ask me, how do you know that it's time to give up? So number one, you never know. You don't know. Number two, I would add my advice that is basically saying, look, if one of the two following is happened, then you should give up. One is that the problem disappears. The first startup that we started in year 2000, it called Access Mobile and what we tried to do is actually provide an email access through WAP phones, right? So very, very long time ago. And the problem disappeared as soon as Blackberry started, right? So there was sort of a very different approach for the solution, which made our solution irrelevant. And to a certain extent, I would say the problem disappeared. So if problem disappears, you should quit. The other reason is if the team is not right and you're unable to change it. If you are the CEO, then you should be able in a position to change that, but in many cases, you don't. And then you end up with a place that might have the right mission, but not the right BNA. And you don't want to stay in a place like that. So this is time to shut it down. These are the only two reasons that I can figure out why you should quit. And in general, I would say look at entrepreneurs, they don't keep up. I know that's something. So I think that what I value that lesson so much because the concept of never giving up, it does conflict with the concept of of failing quickly. So it's good to have an understanding of what your organization is growing into what you're, again, the problem you're trying to solve is it's still there. And then the other point you mentioned the right people, but let's talk about, let's talk about the problem, right? I mean, you wrote a book. So you wrote, you know, I would say like, yeah, and I'm, I'm, I'm stopping you for a second. Okay. Yeah. Single is the sole right. When you go into this journey, there is a problem that you're trying to address, right? And, and this is becoming your mission, right? So for a second, I would say if the mission is right and the team is right, then you shouldn't give up. If one of them is going away, then you should start to consider if both of them, then definitely you should consider a token of giving up. But the, the journey of failures is not about the essence of the startup. The essence of the startup is about the problem that trying to solve the value that they are about to create. And it's about the way to get there. And the way to get there is a journey of failure. Understood. I understand. Okay. I want to understand the, the title of the book that you wrote, fallen love with the problem, not the solution. So we're, we're dancing around this now, but speak to me about what it means to truly fall in love with the problem. What problem did you fall in love with when you built ways? I hate traffic chips. It's a good one. It's because you know, end of the day, I, and I'm pretty sure that you have, have met many entrepreneurs. They all have a starting point that has, that touched them on a personal level, right? And, and not all, but most of them. And in many cases, this is about frustration. So you're running to something and you ended up being frustrated and then you tell yourselves, no, no, no, this is something that I am going to change. There is no way that this is how it works. And this is the key driver for most of my startups is running into situations that they tell myself, wait a minute, am I the only one that is getting frustrated because of that? And then you start to discuss that with or speak with other people until you realize that this problem is real or at least the perception of the problem is real. And so for me, you know, the journey is always about starting with a problem. So finding a problem, a big problem, something that it's worth solving, something that the world will become a better place if we solve that. And then the next thing that you really would like to do is ask yourself, so who has this problem? Now, if you happen to be the only person on the planet with this problem, then I would say, go to a shrink. It's much cheaper than building a startup. But if a lot of people actually have this problem, then go and speak with those people and understand their perception of the problem and only then build a solution. Now, if you follow this path and your solution works, it's guaranteed that you're creating value. If you start with a solution, you might be building something but nothing that no one cares. And that's really not a good idea. So when I say falling in love with the problem, what it really means is start with the problem, but there is way more into that. The problem then remains the north star of your entire journey. And every day you're asking yourself, if I'm making a progress towards addressing this problem. And so if the problem was for way down, the reason that we start is that we hate traffic jams. We evolved that into a mission to help drivers to avoid traffic jams. Because the solution for the problem is very easy, avoiding the problem, right? So getting rid of the problem, problem disappears or we are avoiding that or overcome that. And that makes it easy. As long as you cheap that as the north star of your company, then you increase the likelihood of being successful. And you increased the likelihood by basically saying, I know where I'm going. I don't know what's the next step or I do know what's the next step, but I have no idea what's the step after next, but I know where I'm going. The other part of it is that it makes your story so much easier to be told that your marketing is becoming easier. Your fundraising is becoming easier. Everything is creating or the entire story is much easier. Because if I will tell you, you know, I'll have a time machine. We will roll back in 2007. And I will come into this podcast. Well, that podcast wasn't here. I think in 2000. It wasn't. But I get the point. But that assumed that we are. And I will tell you, I'm building an AI crowdsource navigation system then you don't really care. But if I will tell you, I'm helping you to avoid traffic jams and all of a sudden you do care. And so the story is easier to be told. And usually story, you know, when you tell a story about the problem, then there is an emotional engagement for many of the people in particular, if they have experienced similar problem or the same problem. So falling in love with the problem, essentially, increase your likelihood of being successful, increase the likelihood of becoming a market leader through two main things, right? The North Star and therefore the mission of the companies is is clearer and easier and remains the same throughout the entire journey. And the story that tells is much easier. Thanks for tuning in. If you found this valuable, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if you want to dive deeper into this conversation, check out the links in the description to watch the full episode. See you in the next one.