Testing the new post editor

This is just a test post.

I'm writing this post in our new post editor.

By the way, this block quote looks like crap:

What we really need are boxes.

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Filled boxes, empty boxes. Boxes!

And the option for text to be centered.

• abc def ghi jkl mno pqr stu vwx yz

You can get this blockquote to appear by beginning the line with a >...

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Things to fix:

• When adding a horizontal rule, add a blank line after the rule instead of before it.

• When focusing the line after a new horizontal rule, improve the styling of the cursor. It's this weird, flat underscore thing. Why not use a normal cursor?

It's been said that ideas don't matter, and that only execution does. I wholeheartedly disagree. You need both to succeed, but you can only get so good at execution. A great idea gives you much more leverage.

Below is my framework for coming up with great business ideas.

The Basics

Most people equate product ideas with business ideas. That's wrong. Your product is only one part of your business. There are at least four parts in total:

1. the problem you're solving and the people who have it (i.e. the market)

2. the distribution channels to reach customers

3. the monetization model you use to make money

4. the solution to the problem (i.e. your product or service)

Great business ideas are strong in all of these areas.

Problem First, Solution Last

The #1 rule is to put the problem first and the solution last. That's right: your product should be the last thing you think about.

Why? Because it's the most flexible. You can build anything. But the other three aspects are constrained. You have to choose from a limited set of viable problems, channels, and models. Always start with the constraints.

Seth Godin puts it nicely in his book This Is Marketing:

If you find yourself trying to think up product ideas, then you're putting the solution first. Not only is that backwards, but it's harder!

It's impossible to design a great tool for a job before you even know what the job is. So how exactly are you supposed to think up good product ideas out of thin air?

You'll make your life easier and your business ideas better if you put the solution last and the problem first.