SimpliSafe Chased the Wrong Customer. This Pivot Saved The Business.
SimpliSafe is a security system built for renters. But it unexpectedly gained traction with homeowners.
Chad Laurans was convinced he'd made the perfect product for the perfect customer. He'd done his research, refined his marketing, launched a home security company called SimpliSafe with high expectations -- and then was promptly disappointed. "Things were going pretty slowly," he says. "It felt like we were headed toward this middling outcome where we could spend years and maybe decades and not have much to show for it."

To save his business, Laurans began asking himself a difficult question: Did I build the wrong product, or target the wrong customer? It's a puzzle many entrepreneurs face as their businesses evolve, and as they seek what investor Marc Andreessen famously calls "product-market fit" -- that is, the right product for a good market. Entrepreneurs may think they know the answer, but until they launch, they really don't.
Continue reading this article - and everything on Entrepreneur!
Become a member to get unlimited access and support the voices you want to hear more from. Get full access to Entrepreneur for just $5.
Entrepreneur Editors' Picks
-
This Co-Founder Was Kicked Out of Retailers for Pitching a 'Taboo' Beauty Product. Now, Her Multi-Million-Dollar Company Sells It for More Than $20 an Ounce.
-
Have You Ever Obsessed Over 'What If'? According to Scientists, You Don't Actually Know What Would Have Fixed Everything.
-
After He Was Fired From the UFC, This Former Fighter Turned His Passion Into a Thriving Business
-
Most People Don't Know These 2 Things Are Resume Red Flags. A Career Expert Reveals How to Work Around Them.
-
How One Woman Turned Pandemic-Induced Boredom and a Makeshift Garage Art Studio Into a Thriving Franchise
-
Use These 4 Self-Care Rituals for More Resilience and Less Depletion
-
Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran Wants to Invest in 'Someone Who Probably Needs a Good Shrink Instead of a Business'