You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

People Love Your Idea, But It Doesn't Make Money. Now What? The founder of Shift shares how he was forced to get rid of a feature everyone loved.

By Jason Feifer

entrepreneur daily
Shift

This is an episode of our podcast Problem Solvers. Each week, an entrepreneur reveals how they overcame an unexpected problem in their business -- and were happier and more successful as a result. The show is hosted by Entrepreneur's editor in chief, Jason Feifer. Listen below, or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

People may like to shop for cars online, but they still want to test drive them in real life before buying. So when the online car sales company Shift launched, it created a system its founders were sure would win customers over: They hired "car enthusiasts" -- guys just really passionate about cars -- to drive a car to a customer so they could test drive it together. The car enthusiasts were a hit; people loved them, and praised them online. But Shift wasn't celebrating: As it turns out, the car enthusiast program was so expensive to run that the company wasn't actually making money. And that meant Shift needed to do something that felt crazy: Blow up the feature everyone loved.

Hear from CEO and founder of Shift George Arison on why he decided to get rid of something beloved by so many customers -- and what he did instead.

Related: This Entrepreneur Shares How to Name Your Company -- or Fix a Bad Name

Thanks to our sponsors:

Small business never stops moving, so Dell's US-based Small Business Advisors are trained to keep up. Just call 877-BUY-DELL to get connected. You'll get tailored solutions you can trust, from an advisor who knows your business -- like which Dell PCs with Intel® CoreTM processors are right for you. That way, you can focus on your business and leave the tech questions to Dell.

Jason Feifer

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief

Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Problem Solvers. Outside of Entrepreneur, he is the author of the book Build For Tomorrow, which helps readers find new opportunities in times of change, and co-hosts the podcast Help Wanted, where he helps solve listeners' work problems. He also writes a newsletter called One Thing Better, which each week gives you one better way to build a career or company you love.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Business News

Kevin O'Leary Says 'Do Not' Merge Finances, Bank Accounts With Your Spouse: 'I Forbid It in My Own Family'

The "Shark Tank" star stressed the importance of keeping your "own financial identity" in a relationship.

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)