{"id":39558,"date":"2021-06-10T10:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T14:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=39558"},"modified":"2021-06-23T09:05:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T13:05:54","slug":"creating-a-product","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/creating-a-product\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Tips for Creating Products That Stand the Test of Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you have a product idea in mind? What are some things you should consider before you embark on product development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Ryan Holiday, the author of Perennial Seller<\/em>, creating a product<\/a> that lasts is about creating an amazing product, not about hyping it up through marketing. To create enduring work, you have to love the process of creating a great product, not just focus on marketing and sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips on how to create a product<\/a> that will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Are You Creating?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Examine your motivation for creating. <\/strong>Ideally, it should be because you\u2019re burning to solve a problem; have something you desperately need to say; believe the world will be better for it; seeing someone else take and enjoy your work<\/a>; to do something meaningful. It should be your calling. You should need to do this – you <\/strong>can\u2019t not<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is this important? Creating a product inevitably brings setbacks and crushed expectations. You will have existential crises: \u201cIs this even worth it anymore?\u201d Wanting to be rich or famous aren\u2019t enough to push you out of the valley of despair<\/strong>. Other people competing against you are<\/em> driven by a need to create, and they will push past you if you don\u2019t feel the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making great work is incredibly hard. It must be your primary focus. You will have to endure sacrifices. But from sacrifice comes meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing to produce good work is like a marathon in which you cross the finish line, then you get picked up and walked back to the starting line and you have to do the whole thing over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this isn\u2019t the kind of drive you feel you have, or it sounds unpleasant, then it might make sense to quit right now<\/strong>. Not everyone is destined for creating timeless works. It\u2019s better to realize now that you don\u2019t want to do it and close off that path, than to spend years pining for it and incorrectly wishing for what could have been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on Creating a Great Product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There was a quip from an author about spending 20% on the product and 80% on marketing. To the author, this is absurd. Even the best admen know they can only peddle mediocre products so far. Enduring products don\u2019t rely on hype or deceptive sales tactics. Crappy products don\u2019t survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal is to create a product<\/a> so good that people share it with their friends<\/strong>. This word-of-mouth is the only way that works continue to survive for decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil Libin, the creator of Evernote: \u201cPeople thinking about things other than making the best product never make the best product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are You Creating?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that you understand your motivations for creating, you need to figure out what to create that can be enduring. Here are a few tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Perennial Sellers Address Timeless Issues<\/strong>, Not Trends.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Chasing trends<\/a> is problematic <\/strong>because 1) it\u2019s fiercely competitive (partially because it\u2019s strategically easier just to copy others); 2) the hype around a trend obscures its long-term potential (it\u2019s hard to tell early on if the new thing is an enduring innovation, or just a temporary flash in the pan).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says something similar: \u201cFocus on the things that don\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n