The Startup Honeymoon is Over: Infatuation vs. True Problem Obsession

Summary

• Distinguish between infatuation and obsession: You must be mindful of the infatuation phase, or an ego-centric love for your specific solution that leads to defensiveness and boredom. You should instead shoot for true passion, or a resilient obsession with solving the customer's problem.
  

• Adopt the "Marry the Problem" mindset: As markets and technology evolve, founders must be willing to scrap their original ideas and pivot entirely. This is especially crucial if doing so means solving the problem better, rather than clinging to a static product vision.
  

• Preserve endurance by outsourcing friction: While true passion requires embracing the unglamorous grind, the article suggests that founders should prevent administrative burnout by outsourcing compliance and governance to Mezzanine Enterprise, allowing them to focus their energy on the customer rather than red tape.

Every great business starts with a spark. You’re in the shower, sitting in a lecture hall, or travelling to work on the MRT train, and it hits you: The idea.

It feels electric. You stay up till 3 am envisioning and designing your product. You tell your friends about the launch plans you’ve formulated. You think about going for an IPO and even visualise what your exit would look like. You’re in your A game, and things are looking up.

However, this same phase is also very dangerous.

Also known as the infatuation phase, your startup’s early days are fueled by dopamine and novelty. Everything looks perfect because nothing has gone wrong yet. In a way, this phase your startup honeymoon.

As an aspiring entrepreneur, the onus is on you to distinguish between being in love with your solution (infatuation) and being in love with the problem (true passion).

The Symptoms of Infatuation

Infatuation is ego-centric. You are enamoured with your specific idea, which encompasses your app features, the logo, and even the clever marketing slogan.

• Fragility: When a customer says, "I don't need this," the infatuated founder gets defensive. They think the customer "doesn't get it."

• Boredom: When the novelty wears off and the reality of spreadsheets, bug fixes, and cold emails sets in, the infatuated founder loses interest. They start looking for the "next big idea."

• Vanity metrics: Infatuated founders care about likes, press coverage, and networking events. While these may be useful for brand visibility, they don’t necessarily feed your business.

The Anatomy of Real Passion

Real passion is different. It works silently, but it is infinitely more resilient. It involves you looking beyond loving your solution to being obsessed with the problem.

• Customer-centricity: Your customer always comes first, and this translates into a wholehearted willingness to scrap ideas to address their pain points.

• Embracing the grind: When passion takes the wheel, you’ll find yourself doing all the work, including what is deemed unglamorous. You’re willing to wear multiple hats, serving as the janitor, support agent, and salesperson all at once, all because doing so is required to solve the problem.

• Resilience: When you are obsessed with a problem, failure isn't a signal to stop. It simply demonstrates that one method doesn't work, bringing you closer to the method that does.

The "Marry the Problem" Mindset

Uri Levine, the founder of Waze, famously said, 

"Fall in love with the problem, not the solution."

Why? Simply because the solution is subject to change. Technology evolves, and so too do the ever-volatile markets. You must move with the times, and if this means you need to overhaul your existing solution, then you will do what must be done. Always seek to pivot, adapt, and survive.

Ask yourself these questions:

• If I had to solve this problem for the next 10 years without making a profit, would I still care about it?

• Am I willing to change my entire product if it means solving the problem better?

If you answered yes to both questions, you have moved past infatuation. 

You are ready to build.

How Mezzanine Enterprise Supports Real Passion

Real passion is heavy. It requires endurance. And nothing drains endurance faster than administrative friction. The "boring" parts of business—compliance, governance, secretarial duties—are the quicksand that can trap a passionate founder.

Mezzanine Enterprise exists to handle the heavy lifting. We know that your energy is best spent solving the problem you are obsessed with, not figuring out ACRA regulations. We provide the structural backbone for your business, allowing you to channel your passion where it matters most: your customers.

And if you need further support to bring your idea from seed to flower in just 30 days, tap into our WithME incubation programme to gain access to capital and seasoned mentors.

Drop us a message to find out more: https://www.mezzanineenterprise.com/contact