In the Part 3 and previous articles, we discussed how easy it is to fall into the “Everyone” trap and why it ultimately weakens your product and strategy. Now, let’s talk about how to escape the “Everyone” trap and create a focused, successful product. Breaking Free from the "Everyone" Trap: A 10-Step Guide So, how do you escape the "Everyone" trap and build a more focused, effective product? Here's a clear roadmap: Define Your Ideal Customer: Be laser-focused. Don’t just say “small businesses”—be specific, like targeting “independent bookstores with 5-15 employees in urban areas.” Knowing exactly who you serve leads to better product decisions.
Build Detailed User Personas: Go beyond basic job titles. Dive deep into the daily routines, pain points, and goals of your target users. Understand what makes their day easier or harder and how your product fits in.
Start with One Market: Master one market segment before moving on. It’s better to dominate one niche than to spread yourself thin across several. Be a big fish in a small pond first.
Limit Proofs of Concept (POCs): Only greenlight POCs that align with your core strategy and have clear success metrics. Too many POCs at once leads to resource drain and confusion.
Dedicate Full-Time Resources: Innovation deserves more than part-time attention. If it matters, allocate a full team to it—passion projects won’t cut it.
Embrace the Power of "No": Not every idea fits your strategy, and that’s okay. Learn to say no to ideas that don’t align with your core mission.
Use "Not Yet" Strategically: Some ideas are good but not right for now. Create a "Not Yet" list for ideas to revisit when the timing or resources align better.
Regularly Review Your Strategy: Keep your team aligned by conducting quarterly reviews. Ensure you’re still serving your ideal customers and not drifting into new territories without a plan.
Reward Focus: Celebrate the teams and projects that deliver high-impact, focused results. Reinforce the message that depth is more valuable than breadth.
Educate Stakeholders: Help leadership and your team understand the value of focus. Consistently explain how a focused strategy leads to better product outcomes and less waste. The Bottom Line: Focus or Fail Building great B2B products isn’t about trying to serve everyone. It’s about deeply understanding a specific market, solving real problems, and delivering consistent value. Remember: Amazon didn’t start by selling everything—they started with books. Facebook began with college students, not the entire world. Slack focused on developer teams first before expanding. So, next time someone suggests targeting “everyone” or adding a dozen new features, take a deep breath. Then, walk up to the whiteboard and write in big, bold letters: FOCUS OR FAIL. Because if you don’t, someone else will. And they’ll do it better. 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. In the Part 3 and previous articles, we discussed how easy it is to fall into the “Everyone” trap and why it ultimately weakens your product and strategy. Now, let’s talk about how to escape the “Everyone” trap and create a focused, successful product. Part 3 Breaking Free from the "Everyone" Trap: A 10-Step Guide So, how do you escape the "Everyone" trap and build a more focused, effective product? Here's a clear roadmap: Define Your Ideal Customer: Be laser-focused. Don’t just say “small businesses”—be specific, like targeting “independent bookstores with 5-15 employees in urban areas.” Knowing exactly who you serve leads to better product decisions. Build Detailed User Personas: Go beyond basic job titles. Dive deep into the daily routines, pain points, and goals of your target users. Understand what makes their day easier or harder and how your product fits in. Start with One Market: Master one market segment before moving on. It’s better to dominate one niche than to spread yourself thin across several. Be a big fish in a small pond first. Limit Proofs of Concept (POCs): Only greenlight POCs that align with your core strategy and have clear success metrics. Too many POCs at once leads to resource drain and confusion. Dedicate Full-Time Resources: Innovation deserves more than part-time attention. If it matters, allocate a full team to it—passion projects won’t cut it. Embrace the Power of "No": Not every idea fits your strategy, and that’s okay. Learn to say no to ideas that don’t align with your core mission. Use "Not Yet" Strategically: Some ideas are good but not right for now. Create a "Not Yet" list for ideas to revisit when the timing or resources align better. Regularly Review Your Strategy: Keep your team aligned by conducting quarterly reviews. Ensure you’re still serving your ideal customers and not drifting into new territories without a plan. Reward Focus: Celebrate the teams and projects that deliver high-impact, focused results. Reinforce the message that depth is more valuable than breadth. Educate Stakeholders: Help leadership and your team understand the value of focus. Consistently explain how a focused strategy leads to better product outcomes and less waste. Define Your Ideal Customer : Be laser-focused. Don’t just say “small businesses”—be specific, like targeting “independent bookstores with 5-15 employees in urban areas.” Knowing exactly who you serve leads to better product decisions. Define Your Ideal Customer Build Detailed User Personas : Go beyond basic job titles. Dive deep into the daily routines, pain points, and goals of your target users. Understand what makes their day easier or harder and how your product fits in. Build Detailed User Personas Start with One Market : Master one market segment before moving on. It’s better to dominate one niche than to spread yourself thin across several. Be a big fish in a small pond first. Start with One Market Limit Proofs of Concept (POCs) : Only greenlight POCs that align with your core strategy and have clear success metrics. Too many POCs at once leads to resource drain and confusion. Limit Proofs of Concept (POCs) Dedicate Full-Time Resources : Innovation deserves more than part-time attention. If it matters, allocate a full team to it—passion projects won’t cut it. Dedicate Full-Time Resources Embrace the Power of "No" : Not every idea fits your strategy, and that’s okay. Learn to say no to ideas that don’t align with your core mission. Embrace the Power of "No" Use "Not Yet" Strategically : Some ideas are good but not right for now. Create a "Not Yet" list for ideas to revisit when the timing or resources align better. Use "Not Yet" Strategically Regularly Review Your Strategy : Keep your team aligned by conducting quarterly reviews. Ensure you’re still serving your ideal customers and not drifting into new territories without a plan. Regularly Review Your Strategy Reward Focus : Celebrate the teams and projects that deliver high-impact, focused results. Reinforce the message that depth is more valuable than breadth. Reward Focus Educate Stakeholders : Help leadership and your team understand the value of focus. Consistently explain how a focused strategy leads to better product outcomes and less waste. Educate Stakeholders The Bottom Line: Focus or Fail Building great B2B products isn’t about trying to serve everyone. It’s about deeply understanding a specific market, solving real problems, and delivering consistent value. Remember: Amazon didn’t start by selling everything—they started with books. Facebook began with college students, not the entire world. Slack focused on developer teams first before expanding. So, next time someone suggests targeting “everyone” or adding a dozen new features, take a deep breath. Then, walk up to the whiteboard and write in big, bold letters: FOCUS OR FAIL. FOCUS OR FAIL. Because if you don’t, someone else will. And they’ll do it better. Acknowledgment: A special thanks to Ankita for her insightful review and thoughtful proofreading of this article. Acknowledgment: Acknowledgment: A special thanks to Ankita for her insightful review and thoughtful proofreading of this article. Ankita Ankita 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. 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. Asit Sahoo Asit Sahoo

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

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Building for Everyone? Here’s Why Less is More: Part 4 (Final Act)

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