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Business Strategy with Hirav Shah OCTOBER 17, 2025 | The Indian Eye 39

Find a Need, Fill a Need: The Simplest

Business Strategy That Still Works

When your business hits a rough patch—sales dry up, confusion sets in, and the spark feels lost—it’s
easy to freeze, panic, or blame the market. But what if that struggle is just a signal?

HIRAV SHAH

hat if the next big idea isn’t
about creating something
Wrevolutionary, but simply
noticing what’s missing?
That’s the heart of one of the oldest and Restaurants lacked digital presence. Zomato became their online face (File photo)
most powerful business mantras:

Find a need. Fill a need. “If you can answer one ques- • Can you deliver it consistently? Takeaway Checklist
• This phrase might sound simple, tion—‘Who truly needs this?’—you’re • Execution matters more than imag- • Listen more than you speak
everything—solve
ination.
• Don’t
solve
already 50% ahead in your business
but it’s behind every great product, strategy.” – Hirav Shah “It’s not just about having the something specific
every successful startup, and every right idea—it’s about turning it into • Talk to real people, not just data
legendary brand. It’s not just a strat- How to Find a Need: 5 Proven Ways real impact with speed and preci- • Build fast, test small, iterate often
egy—it’s survival in business.
1. Observe your own pain points sion.”– Hirav Shah • Stay focused on need, not noise
LET’S DECODE THIS FURTHER. What frustrates you daily? Chances Final Words
are others feel the same. Real-Life Examples of “Find a Need, Fill a • You don’t need to reinvent the
What Does “Find a Need, Fill a Need” Really 2. Listen to complaints Need” wheel to build a great business.
Mean? Complaints are gold. They reveal • Dropbox: People struggled to send • Sometimes, you just need to notice a
• It means identifying a pain point, what’s broken. large files. Dropbox made cloud missing spoke—and fix it.
problem, or gap in the market—and 3. Check trending questions on storage simple. • That’s what “Find a need, fill a
offering a solution that people are forums • Zomato: Restaurants lacked digital need” is all about.
willing to pay for. No gimmicks. No Reddit, Quora, Amazon reviews— presence. Zomato became their on-
overthinking. these are market research mines. line face. FAQs
• Look around: every successful 4. Talk to customers (and those who • Byju’s: Parents needed better learn- Q1. Is this strategy only for new startups?
brand exists because someone spot- said no) ing tools. Byju’s brought gamified No, it works for every business stage—
ted a gap and stepped up to fill it. Ask: Why didn’t you buy? What education home. from startups to legacy brands. Markets
“No product should exist unless would’ve made you say yes? • Nykaa: Women needed a curated change, and new needs always emerge.
it solves a real problem. Purpose cre- 5. Look for inefficiencies beauty platform in India. Nykaa de- Q2. What if I find a need, but don’t have the
ates profits.” – Hirav Shah | Business Can something be done faster, livered trust + quality. skills to solve it?
Strategist cheaper, or better? • None of these started by building Partner up. Build a team. You don’t
“Opportunity doesn’t always something huge—they started by
Why This Strategy Still Works—Even in knock—it whispers through dissatis- solving something urgent. have to do it alone.
2025 faction. Tune in.”– Hirav Shah Q3. How do I test if the need is big enough?
• Trends change. Technology evolves. Your Next Step: Start with This One Question Start with a minimum viable product
But human needs stay constant. Filling the Need: From Idea to Execution • “What’s missing in your world right (MVP), launch it in a small segment,
• Whether it’s a new mom looking Once you’ve identified a need, now?” and gather feedback.
for baby-safe skincare, or a remote your next step is building the right • That one question can unlock a busi-
worker needing a quiet co-working solution. Not the most fancy, but the ness idea worth millions—or at the Writer Hirav Shah is the Global Business
space—needs drive markets. most useful. very least, help someone live better. Strategist, Game Changer, and Author
• In today’s hyper-competitive world, Ask yourself: • Every problem is a possibility in dis- of 19+ books—trusted worldwide for
businesses that win are those who • Is it easy to understand and use? guise. validating big decisions of entrepreneurs,
solve specific problems. They don’t • Is it affordable for the target cus- “Find what hurts. Heal it. That’s not sportsmen, and entertainers.
just sell—they serve. tomer? just strategy—it’s service.”– Hirav Shah Email : [email protected]

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