Founders of startups often find the inspiration for the product they provide through personal experience. When founders are also innovators, they look at annoying problems in a different way than many people. Instead of asking “why doesn’t someone fix that” they ask questions to more deeply consider the problem.
Questions like… Is this really a problem? Who else has this problem? Has anyone solved this yet? If I was to solve this, who should I collaborate with? What do I need to know to solve the problem? How will I know if other people find the solution valuable? Is it a solution people will pay to have?
Tejal Shah’s experience and frustration with identifying a preschool for her son began a journey of questions that led her to creating Kidadmit. If you are a parent in search of a preschool and want to simplify the finding and applying process, or if you are a preschool wishing to better manage the application process, Kidadmit is for you.
I had the pleasure of talking with Tejal about her experiences as an innovator and entrepreneur. Her tips involve many useful insights for innovators:
- innovation begins with experience and observation – deeply understand the issues before proposing solutions
- always be getting feedback and learning more – carry an idea notebook to record your insights
- understand the intricacies of the problem yourself – don’t outsource the learning process
- creating the product involves collaboration – what you don’t know shouldn’t stop your progress
- stay connected – participate in networks to share ideas and continue learning
- watch out for assumptions that are wrong – customers can think differently than you do
- have a good support system – there are many highs and lows to deal with as an innovator and founder