IAM2862 – Listen to Customers꞉ Why The Market Might Already Be Asking

The Illusion of the Complicated Sign

A frequent mistake made by builders is searching for incredibly complex market indicators—running intense surveys, building heavy funnel architectures, or mapping out elaborate launch strategies—while completely overlooking the obvious. Sometimes, the market doesn't whisper through data analytics; it simply points to what you are already doing and asks, “Can I have that too?” In this episode, inspired by a conversation with apparel founder Lori Tobin on episode 65 of the I AM CEO podcast, we break down why entrepreneurs must stop ignoring the immediate, organic demand staring them in the face.

The Offering Pillar: Moving Beyond Product Isolation

Too many leaders fall deeply in love with their own ideas, spending months building products or widgets in complete isolation because they find them personally interesting. They launch their concepts before they have actually taken the time to listen to the target demographic in need. True execution within the Offering Pillar proves that a premium, high-value offer is never just about what you are capable of manufacturing. It is entirely about what your market actually needs and values enough to actively ask for. At its absolute core, sustainable entrepreneurship is about targeted problem-solving, and your next major revenue stream is likely hidden within the repetitive questions your audience is already asking.

The Discipline of Trend Spotting

The core takeaway for any CEO is to implement a strict operational discipline around active listening. Just as high-performing founders maintain routines around goal-setting and execution, they must remain consistent enough in their client interactions to recognize repeating behavioral patterns. Instead of treating unexpected audience inquiries as minor, random requests, look for the underlying consumer invitation. The directive for true strategic scaling is clear: don't just sell what you have already made; systematically listen for what your customer is inviting you to build next. Ask yourself this critical question: “What specific solution have people already requested from you that you are currently dismissing as a casual remark?”. Shifting your focus toward this responsive framework is the ultimate shortcut to unlocking your next major business opportunity.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2861-the-strategy-of-documentation%ea%9e%89-the-importance-of-writing-your-business-down/

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Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
Sometimes the market doesn't whisper through a survey, a funnel, or complicated launch plan. Sometimes it simply says, can I have that, too? That's what came up for me during episode number 65 of the I Am CEO podcast with Lori Tobin. Lori has been running and sewing for years, and after a race, someone tracked her down and asked her where she got the leggings that she was wearing. Here's a little secret. Lori had made them herself.

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 1600 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 you 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 01:47
Sometimes the market doesn't whisper through a survey, a funnel, or a complicated launch plan. Sometimes it simply says, can I have that, too? That's what came up for me during episode 65 of the I Am CEO podcast with Lori Tobin. Lori has been running and sewing for years, and after a race, someone tracked her down and asked her where she got the leggings that she was wearing. Here's a little secret. Lori had made them herself. But here's the big thing. That moment mattered a lot. Why is that? Because sometimes, as builders, we're looking for a complicated sign from the market, maybe from the universe, from God, whatever it might be, when the market may have already be. Might already be asking a very simple question. Can I have that, too? Do you have those? Circumstances or those experiences where someone's asked, hey, it'd be really good if you did that. Or it'd be great if you created this. Or this would be awesome. Lean into that. Gloria went on to start her apparel company, which made workout clothes in the US for adults and children. And she also has a organization for young children as well too, to exercise, have healthy habits. But here's the nugget or the piece of advice that you can definitely run with. Her advice is ask customers, what do you need next? If there is a builder lesson, that is a builder lesson. Just being able to simply have that conversation opens up the doors for maybe seeing things in a different perspective and in a different way so that you can provide that solution. We spend lots and lots of time of guessing what people want. We build in isolation and when we create things because we think they are interesting, we fall in love with our products and services, our widgets, the things that we created. We launch before we've listened long enough to the people that are actually in need. But here's the thing. Sometimes our next opportunity is already inside the questions that customers already keep asking over and over and over and over again. This connects perfectly to the offering pillar. A strong offer is not what you just what you can make. It's what people actually need and value enough to ask. At the heart of entrepreneurship is around problem solving. If you don't have a problem that you're solving, what are we really creating? Lori touched on many other things, including running, meditating, writing down goals and aspirations. And there's obviously discipline in that. I think that same discipline applies to the listing that you do on a regular basis. You have to be consistent enough with your customers to notice those patterns. You have to be aware of of what is happening, what problems they're having, what questions they're asking on a regular basis. It requires that same discipline. Here's the thing and the big nugget that you want to take away from this conversation and this podcast. Don't just sell what you made. Listen for what the customer is inviting you to build next. Here's something worth thinking about a little bit more. What have people already asked you for or asked me for that once you you have been treating like a random request. Because sometimes our next product, our next service, or our next content idea is not hidden. It's already being spoken by the people that we serve. So why not serve? If you've been trying to figure out what's next, what's the new idea that you should be leading into? Where is the opportunity. This conversation is the one worth listening to.