Shir Wegman

What's the hardest part about blazing a trail in your industry?

I'm interested to hear what everyone has to say about this! Especially in tech, the world and people's needs are constantly changing. This means that the products we're creating have to change with it, and the most successful products tell people what they need before they know they need it. As exciting as this is, it's super hard too. Reaching out to fellow trailblazers: what do you think about this? What are some of the tradeoffs?

99 views

Add a comment

Replies

Best
Erika van Bruggen

I always wanted to get into SEO but even though I have a marketing background it always felt a bit difficult to break into.

SEO as discipline in digital marketing is quite established and so are agencies and existing consultants.

For me the break now came with ChatGPT because it really is shaking everything up right now. Not only content (marketing) creation but also how users and potential customers are pulling information now (instead of searching on Google et al).

So for me the answer is: while there are many ways to blaze a trail, for me, right now, it really helped that the whole marketing industry is changing and by knowing how to work with ChatGPT and knowing how ChatGPT works and what it means for users.

For example Findable just launched today (currently #2 https://www.producthunt.com/products/findable-3) and as early adopter my feedback already made the product better for my day to day in SEO.

Being curious about a space and how it changes and being involved (on Product Hunt, on new apps in the space, …) is a good combination for trail blazing I think.

Shir Wegman

@erikavanbruggen So so important. The Scytale team is dealing with the same struggles as society shifts from traditional web browsers to generative AI. It's a completely different beast. Will definitely take a look at that launch that you tagged :)

Emily Walker

Breaking through doubt and resistance while proving your vision works. Staying consistent when there’s no roadmap to follow.

Shir Wegman

@emily__walker Totally get it! The lack of structure or a defined checklist can get to all of us.

Alicia S

For me it is less focused on making the problem and solution clear - if you already have a good clear offering solving a known problem then people will understand the product quickly. It is more focused on two things: 1) people believing and connecting with your vision, 2) making it easily adoptable / frictionless - how can the product slot into people's processes or routines, delivering value with minimal effort, time and costs. Would others agree?

Shir Wegman

@a_s71 For you, what is the difference between understanding and believing/connecting? It's definitely one step above, but what do you think takes someone from understanding to believing in your vision?

Karan Mandal

The hardest part is staying ahead while the rules keep changing. You’re often figuring things out without a clear roadmap or guide.

Igor Lysenko

The hardest thing is the necessary experience, even if you need to adapt to new technologies, it can take time to understand how it works and whether it is necessary. But I think that the basis should be the experience that needs to be developed so that it is a good tool.

Furqaan

It’s about having the determination to show up every day and do the work consistently, even when you know the odds are stacked against you. The landscape keeps shifting. The competition keeps growing. But you keep going anyway.

I’d say that’s the hardest part.