Show Notes
What happens when the market wants one thing, but you want to build something else?
In this episode of the In Demand Podcast, Asia and Kim unpack the emotional tension founders face when their product attracts a different kind of customer than they originally set out to serve.
From internal conflict to organizational confusion, they explore how this misalignment can quietly stall growth and what it takes to move forward with clarity.
Got a question you'd like Asia to unpack on the podcast? Record a voicemail here.
Links:
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together by Sherry and Rob Walling
Chapters
- (00:03:00) - When your product grows in a direction you didn’t intend.
- (00:05:40) - The founder-product conflict: There is a new segment of the market that is growing and more important, but you’re not as excited to serve them.
- (00:11:30) - When you are serving multiple segments, you eventually face a choice on which segment you will focus your product.
- (00:14:40) - How this tension has shown up in the history of DemandMaven and how they've adapted to it.
- (00:15:11) - Start by mapping your options and the trade-offs of each. But if you want to move forward, you've got to make peace with the trade-offs.
- (00:19:00) - You can commit to one path and still pivot later. Decisions are not permanent.
- (00:21:40) - Not choosing a clear direction is what kills momentum. Committing to one path, even if it's not the best path, will almost certainly be better than thrashing between options.
- (00:24:25) - What keeps founders stuck: emotional attachment, ego, identity, fear, and discomfort.
- (00:28:05) - The conflict has to be resolved. Staying stuck drains time, energy, and growth.
- (00:31:00) - Resource: Dr. Sherry Walling’s work on founder emotional health.
