Basic Problem

👋 Hey All

Happy to see you again to my newsletter about product ideas, building side projects, and problems worth solving.

Today's special is different. There's a thought in my head I want to lay out for you.

Let's think about it.

📃 The Black List for...?

Back in episode 76 of Masters of Scale, Reid Hoffman talked with Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List. In short, The Black List is an annual survey of screenplays everyone loved - but no one was actually producing a movie from it. It started out as a kind of email list and evolved into a marketplace for writers outside the closed Hollywood network and opened up to TV pilot scripts as well.

And ever since listening to this episode, I can't get the "X for Y" question out of my head.

Franklin's basic question is "how can we create systems that give us more information to make slightly better decisions in a competitive environment?", with Reid saying "I believe that in a crowded field – your competitive edge is in finding under-valued assets that others overlook."

At first glance, this sounds familiar. There are a plethora of tools for spotting trends (see issue #10), newsletters and sites about business ideas (issue #11), and keyword tools (issue #12). There are info products, raw data providers and data analytics, marketplaces, and many more.

But I think The Black List is more than that. It's not just a trend-spotting tool. It's not just a marketplace to sell "stuff." Screenwriters don't just want to sell. They want to be discovered, they want to get into a network. They don't only have an idea or a simple digital/ physical asset. They have a fully-fledged screenplay to give. And The Black List provides a platform for this, by leveling the playing field.

How to apply this to other areas? As I said, it is not just an analytics tool or a "simple" marketplace. It's also more than "just" a community. It sounds like another puzzle piece for the Creator Economy. I can think of other art forms where you have something fully built waiting to be discovered - music, books, more fine arts, etc. But what more? Which industries would benefit from something like The Black List?

What are your thoughts on this? I'd be thrilled to hear your ideas and opinions.

⏪ Addendum to Past Editions

Additional information about topics covered in past editions. Here you go.

#28 - Creator Economy

• Recap: the Creator Economy is "the platforms, marketplaces and tools democratizing creative expression and entrepreneurship; empowering an independent creative class to make a living on their passions."
• Addendum: Mighty Networks aims to build a creator middle class "by helping founders grow their followings without catering to algorithms."

#27 - Games and Esports

• Recap: Estimates state that the global games market will generate revenues north of $180 billion in 2021 from close to 3 billion gamers worldwide. That is a market rich with niches and opportunities.
• Addendum: last week, the International Olympic Committee announced the Olympic Virtual Series. Looks like the rowing competition is still up for grabs 😉

#21 - Bad Execution

• Recap: the basic idea is that you use existing products to find validated ideas and improve upon the product itself or a certain feature set.
• Addendum: meet Ideas Filter, another source to find products with bad ratings. Currently covers Google Play, Shopify apps, and Atlassian Marketplace.

💬 Social Listening

Listening on social networks to find out what people are looking for.

Top "request for product" tweets on Twitter:

• Okta, but smart enough to learn that if you are on the same phone you always use you probably are the same person
• A Chrome extension that will block me from seeing when someone is lurking in my doc
• Stripe for healthcare payments
• Monthly box of EDC items to use for my flatlay thumbnails

Selected "someone invent" tweets on Twitter:

• Video grep
• A nice game for introverted people
• A rent-a-man/stud app
• A drive thru pasta place

📚 Worth Reading

Build Products That Solve Real Problems With This Lightweight JTBD Framework - Have a look if you're searching for a simple, actionable version of the Jobs-to-be-Done approach. Includes a template, process, and real-life examples.

Coding Qualitative Data - How to Analyse User Interviews - This is interesting for two reasons. First, it's a great overview of techniques to make good use of qualitative data, which is a required skill for any entrepreneur. Second, it opens up opportunities for more tools to support this process.

Burnt out: is the exhausting cult of productivity finally over? - More on the negative effects of the hustle culture and more people realizing that we only live once. Think about your current job and if it's really what you want to do. Bonus: read last week's Welcome to the YOLO Economy again.

Content strategy for creators: How to grow your audience from 0 - Introduces a four-stage creator content funnel. Quick read, doesn't hurt, but remember that the most important thing is not to read more guides but to get started.

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