Most builders believe that great ideas come from brainstorming sessions or sudden inspiration, but many of the best businesses actually start with friction. Friction is that thing that feels “off”—the problems people complain about but eventually accept as normal. In this episode, Patrick Harrison shares how noticing the daily impact of deskbound work, such as dropping energy levels and lack of movement, led to a solution that addresses a true human need.
The Power of Observation
For builders working in their business every day, inefficiencies and friction show up constantly. The lesson here is to stop normalizing these problems just because they are common. By slowing down to notice patterns, you can start seeing these problems as inputs for innovation rather than mere annoyances. When a solution improves how people move and function, it creates tremendous value, especially in environments where well-being is often overlooked.
Your Competitive “Nugget”
The ultimate opportunity for any builder lies in the awareness behind the product. Ask yourself: What problem do you see every single day that people complain about, but no one is actively solving?. Addressing that friction is how you find opportunity hiding in plain sight and build a solution that provides genuine value without adding unnecessary complexity.
Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2773-the-importance-of-wellness-as-a-strategic-business-foundation/
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Transcription:
Gresham Harkless 00:00
Most builders think great ideas come from brainstorming sessions, whiteboards, or sudden inspiration. Honestly, many of the best businesses don't start that way at all. They start with friction. Think about it. Friction is something that feels a little off, right? Something that keeps showing up, something that people complain about but accept as normal, or that's just the way that things are.
If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm Gresh, and for over a decade, I've had the honor and the privilege of learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners just like you on how to build. After recording more than 1,600 episodes, one thing has become clear: success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose, even when we feel the journey should be a straight and linear path, what I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share, drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately. So be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.
Gresham Harkless 01:46
Most builders think great ideas come from brainstorming sessions, whiteboards, or sudden inspiration. Honestly, many of the best businesses don't start that way at all. They start with friction. Think about it, friction is something that, uh, feels a little off, right? Something that keeps showing up, something that people complain about but accept as normal, or that's just the way that things are. In episode number 8 of the I Am CEO Podcast, I had Patrick Harrison on the show, and he shared how noticing the impact of desk-bound work led to creating an active solution for employees. What really stood out to me wasn't really the product itself— don't get me wrong, the product was awesome— it was the awareness behind what led to creating the product. Instead of ignoring what he was seeing on a daily basis, he actually paid attention to those things. People sitting too long, energy dropping, movement disappearing from a workday— all those things he was very dialed into. And for builders, this is a very important lesson. We often normalize problems because they're common, but common doesn't mean acceptable. It definitely doesn't mean unsolvable. This is actually how opportunity hides in plain sight. For builders that are working in their business on an everyday basis, this can show up very constantly. Think about it— you see inefficiencies, you feel friction, you notice things that don't quite work as well as they should. But instead of us pausing and saying, hey, why is this like this, we just move on. This episode really highlights the power of observation. It's when you hone in on that pillar of the product, service, the solution that you're you slow down long enough to notice patterns, you start seeing problems as inputs, not as annoyances. When a solution truly, truly improves how people feel, move, and function, it creates tremendous value. This is obviously very true in environments where productivity is valued, but wellbeing is often overlooked. There is a quiet but powerful connection here on how solutions are ultimately built. They're actually not built on adding more complexity, but by addressing a true human need. So here's a nugget that you can take away. Ask yourself this question: What problem do I see every single day that people complain about, but no one is actively solving? That's your opportunity.