Competing with Nothing
One of the hardest things in entrepreneurship is not competing against another product, it's competing against nothing.
Lately, I’ve been working through the PULL framework from Rob Snyder to find demand. PULL stands for:
Project: The buyer is working on something.
Unavoidable: It must be solved.
Looking: They’re actively exploring solutions.
Lacking: The current options aren’t cutting it.
It’s a great lens. But in practice, I keep running into the same wall: even when there’s a project, even when there’s some pain, “do nothing” is still a viable option. And in most (OK all ) cases, it’s the winner.
Because doing nothing is easy. It costs nothing. And people are overwhelmed already.
I’m not looking for just any pain point. I’m looking for a must-solve problem. Something where the user can’t afford to do nothing.
There’s a metaphor from the book The Heart of Innovation that’s stuck with me. Imagine a group of factory workers at the end of their shift. Their families are waiting, and they need to get home. There’s a river in the way. At first, they swim across. It’s cold, exhausting, and risky, but they have to get home. Then someone shows up offering boat rides. That’s obviously better, and people pay for it. Eventually, someone builds a bridge. It’s faster, safer, and more convenient. People gladly pay the toll because it’s the best way to solve a real, unavoidable problem.
The key insight: the workers must cross the river. There is no “do nothing.”
That’s what real demand looks like.
When you’re building something new, the question isn’t “is this better than the competition?” The question is “are people even doing anything right now?” Because if the main alternative is inertia, you’re in for a long, uphill push.
You want to be the bridge. Not just an improvement. Not just a “nice to have.” You want to be the obvious, must-use toll bridge that gets someone home — when doing nothing isn’t an option anymore.
At least, that’s what I’m learning. We’ll see what next week brings!
#HappyLearning