Why Your First Product Should Be Boring

Forbes

7 days ago

Why do so many first-time founders chase novelty instead of traction? This article explains why ... More starting with a "boring" product—something proven, simple, and needed—is often the smartest way to launch a startup.
Startups often begin with a burst of creative energy. Founders want to make something the world has never seen before. But novelty, while exciting, is not always useful. And more importantly, it's not always what the market needs.
In fact, the best product ideas might be the boring ones. A product that doesn't impress your peers on launch day but quietly makes someone's life better.
This article explains why 'boring' products are often the smartest place to start and why chasing novelty too early can slow you down.
1. The Risk Of Inventing Too Much At Once
It's tempting to believe that the best startup ideas are the most original. But in reality, many of the most successful companies didn't start with novel inventions. Building something brand new is a triple challenge: you have to invent the product, educate the market, and figure out how to monetize all at once.
Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, warned about this in his essay Schlep Blindness. He writes that many founders ignore valuable ideas because they look like too much work, not because they lack potential. Often, these ideas aren't flashy, but they solve real, tedious problems that others don't want to tackle.
Your job as a founder is to find a problem worth solving and build a solution that people will actually use. That's hard enough already. Don't make it harder by adding unnecessary complexity.
2. Boring Is Easier To Validate
A 'boring' product idea is usually boring because it's already familiar to the market. That's a good thing. If users already understand the problem and have been trying to solve it with spreadsheets, duct tape, or outdated tools, then you can move much faster.
You won't need to convince people the problem exists. You won't need to invent a new category. You'll just need to show that your version is better.
One of the most effective ways to get a good startup idea is to look at what's already working and improve it. This makes validation faster. You can talk to users, get real feedback, and iterate on something concrete, not hypothetical.
3. It's Easier To Ship And Iterate
Novel ideas tend to come with vague specs and unclear edges. A simple, straightforward tool aimed at a known problem is much easier to scope, build, and launch.
With a boring product, you don't have to invent everything. You can borrow existing models, replicate interfaces that people already understand, and focus your time on execution.
Shipping fast is critical in the early startup stages. A boring product helps you do that. You can get to market quickly, collect feedback, and make real improvements based on real usage, not just intuition.
Think of the first version of Basecamp, or the early versions of Notion. These weren't revolutionary in form, but they were reliable, clear, and focused. And they grew steadily because they solved a real problem well.
4. Distribution Is Less Of A Gamble
Novel products often come with a second layer of difficulty: figuring out how to get them in front of the right people.
A proven product in a known category gives you clear channels. If you're building accounting software, you know where accountants hang out. If you're building construction tools, there are obvious partners and trade networks to tap into.
A niche B2B SaaS tool might not feel glamorous, but if it plugs into an existing buying process and delivers a real ROI, it can grow fast.
That's why so many successful B2B startups like Superhuman, Loom, or Zapier, started in categories that already existed. They just executed better than the incumbents.
5. Boring Doesn't Mean Lacking Vision And Ambition
Boring doesn't mean small. It means focused.
Starting with a 'boring' idea doesn't lock you into a boring business forever. It just helps you get started with fewer unknowns. Once you have traction, trust, and a customer base, you'll have the freedom (and capital) to take bigger bets.
Stripe started by solving a very straightforward problem: accepting payments online. Now it's building a full financial platform.
Amazon started with books. Airbnb started with one city. Facebook started with Harvard students. Novelty and ambition can come later - once the engine is running.