“Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like”

This is a quote from Brian Chesky of Airbnb. His quote is especially true for work products.

Recruit early adopters who strongly feel about the problem you are solving but can’t solve it for themselves.

Why it matters: Don’t build in a vacuum.

• Instead build with real people who can help you spot blindspots.
• Eventually, they will feel a sense of ownership over the product and automatically provide word-of-mouth marketing.

Whom not to recruit: Don’t recruit people like you because you already have your insights. Don’t recruit family or friends. Avoid finding too many people of the same persona else your solution will over index for their specific problems

Instead: Recruit people who are invested in the creation and growth of your product and hence will contribute time and Judgment.

• They are deeply passionate about the problem space
• They find it easy to imagine, understand, and appreciate the benefits of how you are solving the problem
• They are a visionary and hence want to gain insights from the product development
• They believe your product will give them competitive edge in their daily work
• They tend to have a higher tolerance for mistakes

Because they are adopting an immature, under-developed product, you’ve to provide a personal service, such as face-to-face meetings, demos, etc. To sustain their interest, speed of adoption of their feedback is key.

**Have a clear purpose of employing NFTs: ** NFTs are by uber-nerds for uber-nerds within a specific subculture. Others can participate if they want, but the products were not built for them. Here are some examples:

Pre-NFT: In the late 1990s, many bought Apple products to signal the Think Different aspiration. Likewise, people own Royal Enfield to be part of the Indian biking community.

In the NFT era: The National Basketball Association knows that people come to live sporting events less for the sports but more for the experience — to feel that moment with others. Hence, their NFT initiative NBA Top Shots allows you to convert those moments into collectible videos and trade them with others. As a result, demand for these videos surged, with 100,000 users owning at least one highlight.