Do You Know What Your Customers Want?

It’s always worth considering things from the demand-side of the equation. Otherwise, you’ll get the value proposition backwards, or don’t understand while your customers don’t behave as you expected.

During the Summer weekdays, we take the kids to the sports academies offered by a club we are members of. At 28ºC (84º F), there are many people enjoying the beach. But there are also a significant number of people, many parents among them, taking advantage of remote work and working from their laptops while their kids are in their sport classes.

There are several small coffee shops in the club, a couple of lounges, and tables with some shadows where you can sit down to work. While there is one coffee shop that advertises as a coworking space, the space is limited and it’s at the very far end of the club.

If you were one of the club directors, it would take only some time walking around the club during weekdays to notice this significant chunk of club members working remotely. Also, you would notice one of the main problems for remote workers: the scarcity of power outlets to plug in your laptop. You’ll find outlets scattered around, most of them for cleaning equipment, none of them thought for people plugging in their electronic devices.

There are four or even five coffee shops that are only a few blocks from our house. They are great for work or business meetings, or when your brain demands a change of environment to continue working. The oldest coffee shop is the biggest, has way more menu offerings than the other ones, and is always crowded.

Also, it offers no wifi, and there is not a single power outlet in the whole place. (I’ve checked, there is none.)

You’ll find few people working on laptops in this coffee shop. Most people are just enjoying a conversation with friends or family, or maybe talking business… but very few laptops.

There is no chance this is by coincidence.

“People don’t simply buy products or services, they ‘hire’ them to make progress in specific circumstances.” (Jobs to Be Done).