598: Create a Better Product, Narrow Down Your Audience, Find the Ideal Price Point and Grow with Crossword and Word Search Hobbyist Jonah Phillips

Jonah Phillips is the founder and CEO of Crossword Hobbyist and My Word Search. He’s here to talk about starting your own business, and explain why you should ignore most business advice you get. He also explains how he was able to grow the audience for his crossword and wordsearch tools, as well as the audiences he's broken into in order to expand his user base.

Quotes:                                                                                                                                   

“If you're making something for an anniversary gift, you want the absolute most premium.” – Jonah Phillips

“The price is always worth it if it’s the best option and exactly what they’re looking for.” - Jonah Phillips

“You have to be a certain kind of crazy to want to create a crossword puzzle. Even with intense focus, your first newspaper-style crossword could take around eight hours to complete.” - Jonah Phillips

Takeaways:

01:32 Sometimes the most valuable customers are those who weren't your original target audience.

02:19 Finding a unique market niche can turn a seemingly simple tool into a successful business.

05:19 Successful businesses adapt by closely observing how people actually use their product.

15:43 Future-proofing your business means anticipating technological integrations before they become mainstream.

20:40 Pricing isn't always about being the cheapest, but about providing the best value for specific user needs.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:08 — 66.8MB) | Embed

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Filed in: Archive 3: 2018-2020 • Interview • Podcast • Product Creation