Building for Everyone? Here’s Why Less is More: Part 3

In Part 2, we discussed how targeting too many market segments and industries can derail product development. Now, let’s talk about how to escape the “Everyone” trap and create a focused, successful product.

The POC Problem: Juggling Too Many Proof of Concepts

Ah, the Proof of Concept (POC). It starts out innocent: “Let’s just do a quick POC for a couple of users.” But soon, you’re juggling a dozen POCs with no clear direction or strategy.

Here’s why this happens:

1. Lack of Clear Strategy: Without a well-defined product strategy, every new idea seems like a potential winner. As a result, teams end up taking on multiple POCs without any guiding principle, causing confusion and lack of direction.

2. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): The fear of missing the next big opportunity drives teams to chase every new lead. Instead of carefully selecting what aligns with long-term goals, they spread themselves too thin, trying to cover everything.

3. Inability to Say "No" or "Not Yet": One of the biggest challenges is managing pressure from senior stakeholders. When leaders push for new ideas or POCs, teams often feel compelled to agree, even if it doesn’t fit the strategic vision. This inability to push back results in scope creep and an overload of POCs, leaving the product direction scattered and resources overstretched.

   
   

The "Innovation" Buzzword Trap: Why Part-Time Efforts Lead to Failure

Innovation is the buzzword that every company loves to throw around—it sounds exciting and forward-thinking. But when it’s time to move from ideas to execution? Silence.

Why? Because the reality is, many companies fall for the idea of innovation but aren’t ready to commit the resources and energy needed to actually drive it forward. Part-time brainstorming or assigning innovation as a side project is not enough to bring about meaningful change.

Here’s why part-time innovation efforts often end in failure:

1. Lack of Commitment: Innovation needs full-time dedication. It isn’t something you can dabble in on the side. Without dedicated resources, the results will always fall short of their potential.

2. Loss of Momentum: When employees are expected to juggle innovation work with their regular jobs, the project loses steam. Without focus, progress stalls and innovative ideas wither away.

3. Surface-Level Engagement: Quick brainstorming sessions may lead to great-sounding ideas, but they rarely lead to real-world impact. Innovation requires deep work, not just high-level discussions.

4. No Ownership and Accountability: Without full-time, dedicated ownership, innovation projects are left in limbo, with no one truly accountable for driving them to completion. They become just another item on an ever-growing to-do list.

   
   

But there is a way to break free. In the next and final part - Part 4, we’ll discuss how to break free from the “Everyone” trap and focus on innovation the right way.

Acknowledgment*: A special thanks to Ankita for her insightful review and thoughtful proofreading of this article.*

About Author*: Asit Sahoo is an experienced product leader with over 10 years in AI and product development, having built $100M+ portfolios and co-founded an e-commerce startup.*