What Customers Ask For vs. What They Actually Want

Oct 05, 07:00 AM
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 SimpliSafe was built for renters. Renters didn't buy it. Homeowners did. Jason has told that story for years, because it's a perfect lesson in how founders get their customer wrong. But he never asked the obvious follow-up: once you finally find the right customer, then what? Now, 20 years in, SimpliSafe founder Chad Laurans and CEO Hilary Schneider reveal what comes after product-market fit, and why customers asking for "more cameras" didn't actually want more cameras.This episode of Problem Solvers is presented by AT&T Business. To learn more about how the right connectivity can help support your business as it grows, visit att.com/smallbusiness.Jason wants to help solve your impossible problem! Click the link below to sign up:https://entm.ag/levelup20260:00 The "faster horses" myth0:29 Welcome to Problem Solvers0:46 The SimpliSafe origin story: renters vs. homeowners2:21 What happens after product-market fit?2:55 Meet the guests3:47 What product-market fit actually feels like5:1...

 SimpliSafe was built for renters. Renters didn't buy it. Homeowners did. Jason has told that story for years, because it's a perfect lesson in how founders get their customer wrong. But he never asked the obvious follow-up: once you finally find the right customer, then what? Now, 20 years in, SimpliSafe founder Chad Laurans and CEO Hilary Schneider reveal what comes after product-market fit, and why customers asking for "more cameras" didn't actually want more cameras.

This episode of Problem Solvers is presented by AT&T Business. To learn more about how the right connectivity can help support your business as it grows, visit att.com/smallbusiness.

Jason wants to help solve your impossible problem! Click the link below to sign up:

https://entm.ag/levelup2026


0:00 The "faster horses" myth

0:29 Welcome to Problem Solvers

0:46 The SimpliSafe origin story: renters vs. homeowners

2:21 What happens after product-market fit?

2:55 Meet the guests

3:47 What product-market fit actually feels like

5:11 Should you build everything customers ask for?

6:11 Why you have to keep asking "why"

7:14 From "more cameras" to crime prevention

8:17 Fact check: Henry Ford never said it

9:22 What customers really want: peace of mind

10:02 Making a costly service profitable with AI

11:44 Launching a product that doesn't scale yet

13:48 Why big companies forget to prototype

16:51 Build things you're willing to throw away

18:26 What's next for SimpliSafe

19:48 The innovator's dilemma of a cheaper product

20:31 Mining customer support calls for insight

21:52 Go back to what made you great

23:22 The mission: every home secure

23:57 Long-term value comes from creating value

26:33 Wrap-up

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