You Can't Please Everyone
Here's a dillema that every start-up faces "Should I offer a product/service that pleases as many people as possible, or should I offer it to a few people that get what I'm trying to do?". We've all been there, and if you are currently in this situation you have a big decision to make.
The fact is that no matter how much you try, you cannot please everybody. If you want to introduce something that is game-changing and challenging the norm, then people will protest. If you are solving a problem that people don't know they have, they will tell you to go away. This doesn't mean that you should change your product or service so more people like it. This means that you need to focus and serve the market niche that understands what you are trying to do and believes that you can do it. As your company grows, so will your market and slowly more people will get what you are trying to do and join your fan base.
What you need to look out for is trying to please everyone and in the end not doing something differently. If you become just another software company, or just another coffee shop then people will buy and judge you based on price and as we all know, this is not a nice place to be.
One last thing I want to add to the above, is that although the input from outside is important, it should not define what you do. Let's take branding for example, if while developing your brand you ask for feedback from your users and everyone that you know, then everyone will say a different thing. That's the nature of the beast, everyone has an opinion and if you try to incorporate everything and please everyone then you will end up with a Franken-brand. What you need to do is listen carefully to what people say and want from you and understand how you will communicate to them what you are trying to do in a way they can relate to.
Don't try to please everyone, be unique and stand out from the crowd. You will have a smaller market but they will be your fans and it will be worth it.
