Build for Customers with Their Hair on Fire

Startups

One of the most important things I’ve found for early-stage founders to understand is the idea of building for customers with their hair on fire.

I first heard this story from Michael Seibel, a partner at Y Combinator, and I love it because cuts right to the core of what early-stage product development is all about.

Imagine you’re sitting there, and out of nowhere, you feel a sudden heat creeping up your neck. Panic hits, your heart pounds faster. You reach up, and there’s no denying it—your hair is on fire.

You don’t have time to think, to weigh options, to look for the perfect solution. You need water—right now. A bucket, a hose, anything to stop the burning before it spreads. You can smell the singe, feel the sting of flames. Nothing else matters.

For startups, that water is your perfect, polished product. It’s the iPhone of today—flawless, everything your customer needs, a solution that works every time.

But I don’t have water. I have a sack of dirt, and I’m offering it to you. Now here’s the real test: if your hair is on fire, and someone hands you a sack of dirt, what do you do?

Most people wouldn’t think a sack of dirt is the ideal tool to put out a fire. But when you’re desperate, even a sack of dirt is better than nothing.

You grab it. Desperation takes over. You slam your head down, smothering the flames. It’s not pretty, but it works. The fire goes out. You can breathe again.

That’s what an MVP is. It’s the sack of dirt. It’s not perfect, but in a moment of real need, when the problem is burning, it’s enough. It solves the pain. It stops the fire. And that’s what you need to be building—something for the customers whose problems are so urgent, they don’t care if your solution isn’t polished yet. The customers whose hair is on fire.

Most founders get this wrong. They try to build for everyone—the people who are only a little uncomfortable, who don’t feel the heat. But those people can wait. They’ll hold out for something better. They don’t have a fire.

The ones you need to focus on are the desperate ones. The ones who will take your dirt and run with it, because even though it’s rough, it’s what they need, right now. For them, it’s good enough.

And when they use your product, they’ll give you valuable feedback. They’ll tell you what’s broken, what needs to be better. And because they need a solution immediately, they’ll push you to iterate fast.

It’s this desperation that creates momentum. Founders who focus on solving urgent problems for customers with immediate needs get to product-market fit faster. They iterate quicker, learn faster, and ultimately end up with a better product because they’ve been tested under fire.

In those early days, build for the burning need. Forget perfection. Solve their problem first. The polish will come later.

Now go hand them a sack of dirt.

Written by

Dane McFarlane

Dane McFarlane is an expert communicator, trainer and speaker who can make a real difference for your organisation.

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