Do Startups Create Needs or Reveal Them?
This question comes up quite often when I work with early-stage startup teams.
Can startups really create needs?
In some industries, it does look like that.
Take skincare for example. Over time, what was once “good enough” is no longer enough. New needs seem to keep getting created.
But I don’t think needs are actually being created.
In most cases, something already exists underneath.
An aspiration.
An insecurity.
A desire to improve something.
The product just makes it more visible. Sometimes it amplifies it.
What I have not seen work is building something in isolation and hoping a need will show up later.
I have seen teams try this. They build something impressive, but struggle to find real users who care enough.
When you look closely, it’s usually because there wasn’t something strong enough to begin with.
Which is why I keep coming back to this.
There has to be something real at the start, even if it is not very visible.
