Float Image
Float Image
All CategoriesResilienceEntreprenueral Updates
Float Image
Float Image
HomeBlogA Great Idea Means Nothing Without the Right Market — Here's How to Find It
Float Image
Float Image

A Great Idea Means Nothing Without the Right Market — Here's How to Find It

Author Clint Day Avatar
by Clint Day
0
0

Let’s face it — coming up with a great idea is the easy part.

It’s exciting, even addictive: the spark of inspiration, the rush of planning, the late nights spent sketching out your vision. But as any experienced entrepreneur will tell you, a brilliant idea is only the beginning.
The hard truth? Even the best ideas can fail if they never reach the right audience.

This is what’s known as the cold start problem — the challenge of gaining momentum when you have no users, no traction, and no buzz. It’s especially brutal for businesses that rely on network effects (like marketplaces or platforms), but the reality is: every founder has to solve this problem one way or another.

Here’s what I’ve learned about tackling the cold start and finding the right market — lessons drawn from my own journey and from watching countless others succeed (and fail).

1. Start With an MVP — and Keep It Simple
The most powerful tool you have early on? A Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Popularized by Eric Ries, an MVP is a stripped-down version of your product that allows you to test assumptions, gather feedback, and learn what users actually want — all without burning through time and resources.

Your goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.

Let your MVP be ugly. Let it be basic. But let it be real.

Release it for free if you can — just to get people using it. Even a few early adopters can give you priceless insights:

  • Are they sticking around?

  • What features do they actually use?

  • What’s confusing or broken?

If your MVP doesn’t catch on? That’s data. It’s also a blessing — better to learn that now than after you’ve sunk months (or years) into something no one wants.

2. Build in a Hot Market

  • You can build the best product in the world — but if the market isn’t ready, it won’t matter.

    Timing is everything.

    Take Instagram, which launched just as smartphone cameras and social media were taking off. Contrast that with Google Glass — a product that may have been ahead of its time, but missed the mark because the world just wasn’t ready for face-mounted tech.

    Look around: What’s trending? What are people excited (or worried) about? Right now, AI is booming. Remote collaboration, creator tools, and digital health are all hot, too. The key is to spot a wave — and ride it.

    Of course, hot markets also mean competition. But don’t let that scare you. If your product solves a real problem in a way others don’t, you’ll stand out.3. Follow the 50/50 Rule

    This one changed everything for me: Spend 50% of your time building, and 50% marketing.
    I know — if you’re a builder at heart, this stings. It did for me too.

    But if no one knows about your product, it might as well not exist.
    That means:

  • Talking to your audience.

  • Publishing content where they hang out.

  • Running experiments to see what messages stick.

  • Constantly asking for feedback and using it to improve.

At Jotform, we found huge success through blogging. We created valuable content our users wanted — and we published it on platforms they were already using. Marketing doesn’t have to be sleazy or salesy — it can be helpful, authentic, and creative.

And remember: it’s okay if your first idea flops. Every attempt teaches you something. Every failed launch is a step closer to one that takes off.

The idea matters. But the execution? That’s everything.

About The Author
Clint Day

Clint Day is a former serial entrepreneur (insurance agencies) who turned to teaching others how to start their own business after earning a MBA and five certificates in entrepreneurship. He started the entrepreneurship program at State College of Florida, help found the Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, wrote the Entrepreneurship Quick Study Guide found in most college bookstore, edits the Current in Entrepreneurship blog on the setyourownsalary.com business startup website, and is currently serving as advisor to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University veterans entrepreneurship and Notre Dame Hawaii UPBI programs.

Float Image
Float Image

Leave a Comment 👋

0 Comments
Post Thumbnail
The Factor-Y Ltd Launches Company-Building-as-a-Service to Empower Global Innovators

Entrepreneurship is hard—but maybe it doesn't have to be. The Factor-Y Ltd has introduced Company-Building-as-a-Service (CBaaS), a bold new model that redefines how startups get built. Instead of struggling with hiring, fundraising, and infrastructure, founders using CBaaS can focus entirely on developing their innovation. Everything else—from finance to operations—is handled centrally. Unlike accelerators and incubators, CBaaS offers full-lifecycle support across industries and regions, and it’s already been piloted in 22 countries with over 200 universities and 10 government agencies. The model reduces the risk of failure while accelerating time-to-market—a game changer for global entrepreneurship. Founder Philipp Assmus puts it plainly: “CBaaS removes the unnecessary obstacles so innovators can focus on what they do best—solving real problems.”

Read More...
Post Thumbnail
Why You’re Not Getting Things Done—And How to Fix It

Ever End a Workday Wondering What You Actually Got Done? You’re not alone—and here’s how to fix it. Have you ever driven home from work feeling drained but unsure what you actually accomplished? Or reached Friday with a to-do list that looks eerily similar to Monday’s? Maybe you’ve set a meaningful goal but struggled to make real progress. We’ve all been there. At some point, everyone wishes they could be more focused, more organized, and more productive. Because let’s face it—we all have work we want to complete and goals we want to reach. So how do we move from busy to effective? Here are 7 tried-and-true productivity tips that can help—at work, at home, or anywhere in life.

Read More...
Post Thumbnail
From a B- to a Booming Brand: How One Teen's “Unrealistic” Idea Became a $5M Business

In a Missouri classroom just a couple of years ago, 18-year-old Drew Davis turned in a school business assignment — a hot sauce brand idea called Crippling Hot Sauce. He was confident. Passionate. Ready for an A. He got a B-. His teacher told him the concept was “good,” but “unrealistic.” Fast-forward to today, and that “unrealistic” idea is on track to earn $5 million in revenue this year. This is more than a story about hot sauce. It’s a masterclass in resilience, humor, and mission-driven entrepreneurship — from someone most of the world would have underestimated. 🍽️ Hot Sauce, Humor, and Heart Drew lives with cerebral palsy and once weighed 300 pounds. At 14, doctors warned he’d be bedridden by 18 if he didn’t change course. So he did. He started moving, eating better — and using hot sauce to help turn things around. He lost 150 pounds in a year. That personal transformation sparked a passion. When a school project called for a business idea, he thought, “Why not combine my love for hot sauce with my self-deprecating humor?” And so Crippling Hot Sauce was born.

Read More...