Three Guiding Axes for Entrepreneurship and Product

Here are a few principles for getting things done in entrepreneurship.

Think of them as three coordinate axes:

1. What you love: This measures whether you actually like what you're doing, whether you're willing to pour your energy and willpower into it, and whether it aligns with your personal aesthetics. However, this axis alone can't decide too many things. It only determines how far you can go and whether the product reflects your character and taste.
2. What users need: This is actually the most important one. Often, what you like isn't necessarily what users need, or perhaps there simply aren't that many users who need it. When evaluating a new project, you must build something that users actually need, not just something you happen to like.
3. What the market will pay for (financial return): Without this, nothing else holds up. Entrepreneurship is a marathon. If you want to reach the finish line, you must do things the market is willing to pay for and that can generate a positive commercial return.

Evaluating what I've been doing over the past two months, most of it has landed on axis 1, with too little focus on axes 2 and 3. I need to reflect on this.

Additionally, considering competition is an absolute must. There are some things you simply can't win just by trying to out-work or "out-involution" others. Self-reflection is needed, but we still have to try our best to get there! That is the only way to improve our win rate.