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25 Comments

Is it possible that the world is just running out of problems?

I look at my own life and basically everything I might want to do is already fairly convenient and easy, and I can't really identify any glaring pain points... is it possible that most problems have been basically already solved? It just seems like we might be running out of problems to solve

  1. 8

    You don't have to fixate on solving an unsolved problem. There are still many products out there with a shitty UX that are waiting to be "reinvented"

    1. 2

      This exactly. No need to deliver something completely unique, just to do something better for someone.

    2. 1

      This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

  2. 6

    No, and we never will run out of problems.

    What is a problem? It's the gap between what people desire and what they have. Do you have everything you desire in life? Certainly not. Therefore you have problems.

    Human lives have been convenient and easy for centuries now, compared to how they were 10,000 years ago. But we don't exactly acclimate. We're always going to want things faster, easier, cheaper, better, longer, deeper, tastier, funner, realer, etc. And there are evergreen desires we'll never grow out of: status, connection, safety, healthy, etc.

    Of course, not all problems are worth starting a business to solve. You want to target problems that reach lots people. These should be people you like or at least understand. They should like each other and make frequent recommendations. You should ideally be one of these people yourself. It's great if the number of people with this problem is growing, or if the problem is getting worse. These people should have money to spend, and this problem should be one of their top priorities. It's best if it occurs frequently, if it's new, and if it's lasting — meaning it can never quite be fully solved. Etc.

    You don't need to check all of these boxes. But the more the better.

    If you're having trouble spotting problems, try looking at other companies. There are thousands of profitable examples in the IH product directory, podcast guest list, and interviews list. Sit down for a couple hours and make a list of the problems that the successful companies solve. Try evaluating them. You'll start to pick up on patterns that make it easier for you to see problems in the world.

    You'll notice that the advice to "solve an unsolved problem" is misleading. Plenty of people are building successful companies that target problems that others have targeted for hundreds or even thousands of years. They're just solving them in different ways, at different times, for different customers, at different price points, through different channels, at different speeds, etc.

    Another trick is to just start a business. Any business. Something generic and simple. In the course of trying to make money, you'll realize that you desire lots of helpful things that don't exist. Those are unsolved B2B problems. Go start one of those.

  3. 6

    I use to think the same way until I realized that I wasn't thinking big enough. I'm not sure if you are familiar with Peter Diamandis but his material really helps with moonshot thinking. He said that "The world's biggest problems are the world's biggest business opportunities." You state that you view your own life and everything appears it has already been solved and that you can not identify any glaring pain points. I would suggest looking at your life and zoom way out. Look at your demographic, what is your demographic struggling with? Health care, student loan debt, suicide? Try to take a look at really big problems and then narrow down and see if you can solve just a fraction of it.

    Peter Diamandis blog
    https://www.diamandis.com/blog

  4. 4

    someone asked Paul Graham a similar question recently on twitter and his reply was "what are the odds that this is the exact year this became true?"

  5. 3

    I think it’s more likely that the low hanging fruit problems are being worked on, but the big problems are still there (climate change, hunger, inequity, social justice, sustainable energy)

    1. 1

      Unfortunately no tech startup is able to tackle global problem like climate change. Actually digital world make global warming even worse.

  6. 2

    In addition to everything said here:

    Every new solution creates new problems and opportunities. This is true on an infinite scale.

  7. 2

    Well yes, but actually no. Yes, the glaring problems around have been solved, but there is always something that's not right, that can be done better, that can be done cheaper, free, open-source.

    But I can teach you right now a few simple steps how to find new problems:

    1. Do lots of different stuff. When was the last time you picked up a new hobby, activity? You should start now.

    2. Travel. Yeah, I know, pandemic... But when it's over, see how people live in other parts of the world, think about a different continent. Or just find a travelling YouTuber and watch his channel. For example serpentza who has a lot about China.

    3. Read a lot. Sometimes there are things around us thst can be done better but we don't know it because we don't know how it can be done differently or we don't even bat an eye.

    With the right mindset, you can find how things can be done better or cheaper.

    1. 1

      Great reply! I totally agree that exposing yourself to new things is a great way to come up with ideas. :)

  8. 2

    The world is constantly changing so new ideas will always be available. For example, as solar panels for roofs became more mainstream one entrepreneur built a web app (sold his SaaS for millions) to be able to visually setup the panels on a roof before the work actually started because he learned that installers could spend hours before realizing the panels wouldn't fit in a certain configuration.

    Here's a couple of things I keep in mind when building a SaaS:

    1. Build a better mousetrap rather than try something brand new
    2. Must be hard to build (usually requires a lot of domain specific knowledge)
    3. Use new technology to solve the problem more efficiently

    If you can't think of an idea yourself, find someone who has an idea but needs help and see if you can relate to the problem.

    1. 1

      Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing them!

      May I ask why you have the requirement of "Must be hard to build"?

      For context: Are you working with a team or building projects alone?

      1. 2

        As Walt Disney said, "impossible ideas have less competition". I'm more inclined to work on something that takes 6 months to build rather than a week. For example, It took us about 2 years to build the AdvisorBOB platform and we only have one other competitor in the market.

        I work with other freelance devs or fellow indie hackers on projects. Some are full time consultants and others have full time jobs.

        1. 1

          Thanks a lot for your perspective, Jim! I appreciate it very much.

  9. 2

    I have a list of 100+ ideas that haven't been solved.

    Can they make money who knows, but they exist.

    I would come up with "bad" ideas that is how you find good ones.

    I believe there are exercises that exist to train that muscle.

  10. 1

    No, certainly not. They might just not be easy weekend projects, but there are many things we still have to solve as humankind.

  11. 1

    Nah, But its possible that all the ways of solving problems using a CRUD web app could be running out. That just means its time to apply newer technologies (ML, AR, etc) to old problems to solve them in a new way.

    I love that PG essay where he talks about living in the future, then looking at the present and seeing what's missing.

  12. 1

    There is an amazing TED talk about that. There are so many problems that people put up with and don't even recognise them as problems. But if you solve them, it will be appreciated.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uOMectkCCs

  13. 1

    New solutions can mean new problems.

    Also, the great diversity of services and products out there could also mean, sometimes, that there's a gap where 2 or more services can or should meet. Seek the gap and you'll find a problem to solve :)

  14. 1

    People see problems differently. Problems differ based on culture, economy, life status and many uncertain parameters.

  15. 1

    As long as humans are not perfect per se, there will always be problems.

  16. 1

    I just don't think it's possible even though I understand how you feel. Why is that? Because what you feel is based on your life. That is to say your habits, your culture and the people around you.

    Take for example, why copying and pasting advertising without modification doesn't work in two different countries, because the cultures are very different. If you find that in your life there are no problems to solve (which in your case is a problem aha ;)) then go and find problems by changing environments, go and discover other ways of life and other cultures. In the best case you will easily find a problem that you can solve. In the worst case you will come out of this experience enriched! Because let's not forget that life is also sometimes just about discovering things and enjoying them even if you don't get anything out of it! :)

  17. 1

    Perhaps changing something in your daily routine or environment might help you discover friction or problems. Like starting a new hobby or spend a few months in a different country or region. Or talk to different kinds of people.

  18. 2

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