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Most people chase hype and press because they ’ ve never had it , and because they ’ ve never had it , they assume it will be the silver bullet for their business . It ’ s not true .
First-time entrepreneurs in particular can fall into the trap of chasing awards and headlines . They are the easiest way to put to bed the fear you have : that your company , your ideas , and your products may be worthless .
Real entrepreneurs know that fear well . It ’ s what keeps you up at night ; it ’ s what causes your stomach to churn . And a good headline or a plum award can keep that feeling at bay for a little while . You have at least one voice saying , “ This thing you made is great !”
But it ’ s more often an anesthetic feeling than an actual indication of product-market fit . ( Ask yourself : What ’ s the last product you bought because it won an award at Techcrunch Disrupt ?)
The truth is , if we had spent more time focusing on the AUTO TAS- ER as a product and less time focusing on it as media bait , we probably would have discovered its weaknesses .
Reporters aren ’ t the ones buying your product ; and even if they ’ re read by lots of people , those people aren ’ t necessarily your customers .
In fact , products that make for great news stories may gain their media appeal from weird oddities that make them newsworthy — but those same oddities may actually be off-putting to real customers . ( Remember the Segway ?)
This happened with the AUTO TASER . Pep Boys
Feb 2017 Edition
store managers told us excitedly , “ This is the most exciting product we ’ ve ever had — people are bringing their friends into the stores just to see it !”
Here ’ s what they weren ’ t saying : People were coming to see the product the same way they go to see a bearded lady at a circus — as an object of curious fascination . There ’ s a certain amount of spectacle baked into any product , but the problem with chasing news stories and conference acclaim is that you tend to prioritize the spectacle over the substance .
Especially in an era of flashy headlines and media companies eager to publish , it ’ s easier than ever to get a winning story about your product — and then watch the actual sales tank .
We learned our lessons . We quietly developed a much more boring product that actually worked as advertised . That product was the M26 TASER .
M26 TASER ( Image Credit : TASER International )
It solved a key problem for police customers : incapacitating the most violent , dangerous subjects . And solving that one problem propelled us to profitability , an IPO , and to a billion dollar plus valuation .
Importantly , we didn ’ t go out seeking glitz and glamour . Instead of pursuing a big launch or a splashy ad campaign , we hit the road and found actual customers .
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