Ask HN: When Is a Market a Market?
I am currently in the ideation phase for potential startups, with a core objective of fostering self-help and community growth. My focus often narrows down to two primary groups:<p>1. Aspiring Entrepreneurs.<p>2. Individuals seeking friendships.<p>I&#x27;ve had my share of attempts and failures in addressing the first group. What I&#x27;ve observed is that those truly determined to kickstart their ventures, do so irrespective of having a perfect plan; they improvise and adapt along the way. Conversely, others often get stuck in the preparation phase, finding reasons to delay their launch.<p>The second group, on the surface, presents what appears to be a gold mine of opportunity, especially in a world increasingly battling loneliness and social isolation. The idea is simple: create a platform akin to a dating app where users can input their location, specify if they are interested in local or long-distance friendships, share demographic information, preferences, and interests. A straightforward algorithm then churns out a list of potential matches. Users can start conversations, fostering connections, and ideally, forming friendships.<p>However, the practicality of this concept has not lived up to expectations. Pre-pandemic, I organized several meetups revolving around shared interests and socialization, yet they didn&#x27;t gain the traction I hoped for.<p>So, it leads me to ponder - when there’s a clear need or desire for a particular service or platform but no viable market materializes, how can one navigate this conundrum? Whether the goal is profitability or merely making a positive impact, how do we discern a true market from a perceived one? Your insights, experiences, and advice would be greatly appreciated.