How to Find a Problem Your Business Can Solve

Krish Chopra
Fri, 13 Jun 2025 16:54:14 +0000
Solve-problem, Business-solving-a-problem, Bottleneck, Business-opportunity, Startup-ideas, Business-ideas, Business-idea-problems, Solving-problem

Entrepreneurs who build successful businesses often possess a unique ability to see what others don't—the critical bottlenecks hiding in plain sight that create frustration, inefficiency, and lost opportunity. This entrepreneurial vision isn't mystical; it's a disciplined approach to viewing established systems through the lens of analytical thinking and fresh perspectives.

What gives entrepreneurs an edge in identifying industry bottlenecks? Often, it's their position as outsiders. When you're embedded within an industry's established processes, you can become blind to inefficiencies that have always existed.

How I Turned a Bottleneck Into a Business Opportunity

Every year, thousands of nursing students face a critical moment in their education journey. They’ve excelled in their coursework and are ready for hands-on clinical practice—the final step before graduation. Yet many find themselves stuck in an educational limbo, unable to locate qualified professionals willing to mentor them through required clinical rotations. This bottleneck isn’t just frustrating—it’s a significant business problem, adding months to their education and delaying their entry into a profession desperately short on practitioners.

What’s shocking about this healthcare education bottleneck isn’t that it exists—it’s that it had been ignored for decades, hidden in plain sight. When I recognized this overlooked problem, it sparked a mission to turn a systemic failure into an opportunity for innovation that would benefit an entire profession.

This scenario illustrates a powerful reality for entrepreneurs: some of the most lucrative business opportunities aren’t found in creating entirely new products or services, but in solving persistent bottlenecks within existing industries. Using analytical thinking to identify infrastructure problems can be a powerful tool for entrepreneurs looking to make a meaningful impact while building sustainable businesses.

In this article, I’ll share insights from my journey building a solution to a critical healthcare education bottleneck, and offer practical strategies for entrepreneurs looking to identify and solve similar problems in their own industries. We’ll explore how to spot hidden opportunities, validate that your solution addresses a real need, build essential stakeholder relationships, create effective pricing models, and develop metrics that demonstrate your business impact.

Spotting the Hidden Problems That Others Miss

Solving complex problems in established industries demands a structured approach that breaks through established assumptions and workarounds. Beyond identifying problems, it demands a systematic process of validation, relationship building, value-based pricing, and demonstrating measurable impact.

Actionable strategies to identify infrastructure problems that others miss:

Map the entire process flow. Create a visual representation of how work, information, or value moves through the system from start to finish, identifying every handoff point.

Follow the frustration. Interview participants at each stage to discover where they experience the most friction or delays.

Question every assumption. Challenge statements like "that's just how it works" or "we've always done it this way" as potential indicators of accepted bottlenecks.

Analyze workarounds. Document unofficial processes people have created to bypass bottlenecks, which often reveal the underlying problems.

Apply the "Five Whys" technique. When you identify a delay or inefficiency, ask "why" at least five times to get to the root cause rather than addressing symptoms.

Distinguish True Bottlenecks From Mere Inconveniences

Not all inefficiencies represent valuable business opportunities. The key is distinguishing between mere inconveniences and true bottlenecks that prevent an entire system from functioning effectively. True bottlenecks share several characteristics:

They affect a substantial portion of the industry.

They create measurable costs (time, money, resources, opportunity).

They persist despite awareness of the problem.

Multiple stakeholders feel the pain.

Existing solutions are inadequate or nonexistent.

They've been normalized as "just how things work."

The clinical placement crisis in nursing education checked all these boxes. Students were delaying graduation, schools were facing stop-outs, healthcare facilities faced staffing shortages, and patients ultimately received less care—all because the bottleneck had been accepted as an inevitable challenge rather than a solvable problem.

How to Identify High-Value Problems Worth Solving

Finding bottlenecks worth addressing requires both formal and informal research methods. Strong problem solvers combine:

1. Direct observation. Spending time watching processes unfold reveals inefficiencies that participants have normalized.

2. Stakeholder interviews. Talking with various participants in the system uncovers different perspectives on the same bottleneck.

3. Data analysis. Quantifying the impact of bottlenecks helps prioritize which problems to tackle first.

4. Industry knowledge. Understanding the broader context helps determine if a problem is increasing or decreasing in importance.

5. Root cause analysis. Using tools like the fishbone diagram to track symptoms back to their source.

Case Study: The Clinical Placement Bottleneck in Healthcare Education

When I first encountered the nursing education system, I noticed a striking contradiction. While healthcare facilities desperately needed more qualified nurse practitioners, thousands of qualified students were delayed in completing their education due to their inability to secure clinical placements.

The symptoms were obvious: students desperate to find preceptors (licensed nurses who guide and mentor student nurses), overworked clinical educators unable to take on more students, and schools unable to provide adequate placement support.

By applying analytical thinking and examining the problem from multiple perspectives, I identified that the core bottleneck wasn't a shortage of potential preceptors—it was a broken connection system. The infrastructure linking students with appropriate clinical experiences simply didn't exist at scale.

The bottleneck persisted because:

Schools lacked the resources to build robust preceptor networks

Individual students had limited visibility to available preceptors

Preceptors had no efficient way to connect with qualified students

The value exchange between all parties wasn't properly structured

This represented a classic infrastructure problem hiding in plain view—one that affected multiple stakeholders and created measurable costs throughout the system. By recognizing this bottleneck as a business opportunity rather than an intractable problem, we were able to develop a solution that created value for everyone involved.

Validating That Your Solution Addresses a Real Problem

Identifying a bottleneck is just the beginning. Before investing significant resources, successful entrepreneurs must validate their solution addresses a real problem worth solving. Many promising business ideas fail because they solve hypothetical rather than actual problems, or because they address inconveniences instead of critical bottlenecks.

Gather Insights from Multiple Perspectives Before Investing Resources

Industry bottlenecks typically affect multiple stakeholders in different ways. Before developing solutions, gather insights from everyone involved in the process:

Interview end users. Understand how the bottleneck affects daily operations for those most directly impacted.

Consult industry experts. Gather knowledge from those with extensive experience to understand historical context.

Speak with decision-makers. Learn about organizational constraints and requirements from those who control budgets and implementation.

Connect with adjacent stakeholders. Identify how the bottleneck affects those indirectly connected to the process.

Seek out skeptics. Actively look for those who disagree with your problem assessment to challenge your assumptions.

In healthcare education, this meant speaking with nursing students, school administrators, practicing clinicians, healthcare facility managers, and even patients. Each perspective provided unique insights that shaped our understanding of the bottleneck's true nature.

Quantify the Impact

Abstract frustrations become compelling business opportunities when you can measure their cost. Consider these analytical thinking approaches:

Calculate time delays. Measure how much time is lost due to the bottleneck.

Estimate financial impact. Quantify direct costs and opportunity costs for all stakeholders.

Assess quality implications. Determine how the bottleneck affects the quality of outcomes.

Measure resource inefficiencies. Identify underutilized resources resulting from the bottleneck.

Project scaling challenges. Calculate how the bottleneck’s impact grows as the system scales and how it can be solved.

Understand Emotional Challenges

While data provides essential validation, emotional intelligence helps entrepreneurs understand the human dimensions of bottlenecks. The best problem solvers recognize that bottlenecks create emotional as well as practical challenges:

Frustration from recurring obstacles that seem insurmountable can affect every team member involved.

Anxiety about meeting deadlines or requirements.

Helplessness when facing systemic problems.

Resignation after repeated failed attempts to improve.

Relief when someone finally acknowledges the challenge.

By understanding these emotional components, entrepreneurs can design solutions that address both practical and psychological needs. The nursing students we spoke with weren’t just experiencing practical setbacks—they were dealing with intense stress, uncertainty about their future, and feelings of isolation. This emotional context proved crucial to designing an effective solution.

Utilize Design Thinking to Break Down Complex Problems

Design thinking offers powerful tools for validating bottleneck problems before building solutions. This human-centered approach helps entrepreneurs develop insights that might be missed through purely analytical methods:

Empathy mapping. Document what stakeholders are saying, thinking, feeling, and doing regarding the bottleneck.

Journey mapping. Track the entire experience of those affected by the bottleneck.

“How might we” questioning. Reframe bottleneck challenges as opportunities for innovation.

Rapid prototyping. Create simple models of potential solutions to test with stakeholders.

Iterative feedback loops. Continuously refine your understanding based on stakeholder input, possibly using techniques like thinking hats to explore different perspectives.

Practical Steps to Validate Bottleneck Problems Before Building Solutions

Ready to validate whether your identified bottleneck represents a genuine business opportunity? Follow these practical steps:

1. Create a hypothesis statement. Clearly articulate what you believe the bottleneck is and why it matters.

2. Design validation experiments. Develop specific tests to confirm or refute your hypothesis.

3. Establish success criteria. Define what validation looks like before running experiments.

4. Conduct market testing. Use focus groups, surveys, interviews, and A/B testing to gather evidence.

5. Build a minimum viable solution. Create the simplest version of your solution that addresses the core problem.

6. Measure stakeholder response. Assess whether your solution alleviates the bottleneck.

7. Refine based on feedback. Iterate your solution based on real-world testing.

Building Strategic Relationships in Regulated Industries

Regulated industries present unique challenges for entrepreneurs. Compliance requirements, established protocols, and multiple layers of approval can create seemingly impenetrable barriers to innovation. However, these very constraints make stakeholder relationships a powerful tool for navigating complex systems.

To build effective partnerships in regulated industries:

Identify knowledge brokers. Seek out individuals who understand both the technical and regulatory aspects of the industry.

Create mutual value propositions. Ensure every stakeholder clearly benefits from your solution.

Establish early pilot partners. Find forward-thinking organizations willing to test your approach.

Form advisory relationships. Build a formal or informal board of industry experts.

Seek incremental endorsements. Start with small approvals that build toward larger acceptance.

When approaching stakeholders in regulated industries, focus on:

Problem-first discussions. Begin by demonstrating your understanding of their challenges rather than pitching your solution.

Data-driven proposals. Use analytical thinking and concrete evidence to support your arguments.

Regulatory awareness. Show knowledge of compliance requirements and how your solution addresses them.

Risk mitigation strategies. Proactively address concerns about potential disruptions or liabilities.

Implementation road maps. Provide clear paths to adoption that respect institutional constraints.

Trust is the foundation of effective stakeholder relationships in regulated industries. Build it by:

Demonstrating deep domain knowledge. Show that you understand the underlying causes, not just surface symptoms.

Respecting established processes. Acknowledge the reasons behind existing approaches before suggesting changes.

Practicing radical transparency. Be forthright about both capabilities and limitations of your solution.

Following through on commitments. Deliver what you promise, especially in early interactions.

Continuing professional education. Stay current with industry developments and regulatory changes.

By building strong stakeholder relationships based on mutual benefit and trust, entrepreneurs can transform regulatory constraints from barriers into competitive advantages. These relationships become essential resources that help problem solvers navigate complex systems and implement solutions that create lasting value.

Creating Effective Pricing Models for Bottleneck Solutions

The most effective pricing strategy for bottleneck solutions starts with a clear understanding of the problem’s real cost to stakeholders, a skill possessed by great problem solvers. This analytical thinking approach helps entrepreneurs set prices that reflect value created rather than just costs incurred:

Calculate opportunity costs. Identify revenue and opportunities lost due to the bottleneck.

Measure time value. Quantify the cost of delays the bottleneck creates.

Assess risk implications. Determine how the bottleneck increases organizational risk.

Evaluate quality impacts. Measure how the bottleneck affects outcomes.

Consider emotional burden. Account for stress and frustration the bottleneck creates.

Avoid positioning your solution as a minor improvement. The best problem solvers emphasize transformative outcomes:

Focus on end results rather than features, presenting the idea of transformative change.

Highlight systemic benefits across multiple stakeholders.

Quantify before-and-after scenarios with specific metrics.

Emphasize the removal of constraints rather than small efficiencies.

Pricing Frameworks That Acknowledge Both Tangible and Intangible Benefits

Effective pricing models for bottleneck solutions account for both measurable outcomes and intangible benefits:

Tangible Benefits Framework:

Time savings x hourly value

Direct cost reduction

Increased throughput capacity

Reduced error rates

Accelerated revenue capture

Intangible Benefits Framework:

Reduced stress and uncertainty

Improved stakeholder relationships

Enhanced brand reputation

Increased organizational flexibility

Greater peace of mind for the entire organization

Measuring and Communicating Your Impact

After developing your solution and implementing an effective pricing model, the next challenge is to prove your impact on existing and potential clients, making problem-solving important for demonstrating value.

The most persuasive metrics directly connect to outcomes your target market cares about. Strong problem solvers understand that different stakeholders value different results:

Financial metrics. Cost savings, revenue increases, ROI calculations.

Time metrics. Process acceleration, reduced delays, faster completion rates.

Quality metrics. Error reduction, compliance improvements, consistency measures.

Experiential metrics. User satisfaction, reduced frustration, improved confidence.

Strategic metrics. Competitive advantage, market share growth, innovation enablement.

How to Focus on the Outcomes That Matter Most to Customers

When measuring impact, many entrepreneurs make the mistake of focusing on metrics that matter to them rather than their customers. Using analytics to understand your target audience helps identify which outcomes truly resonate:

Interview stakeholders about their definition of success within the organization.

Analyze customer feedback to identify pain points that matter most.

Track usage patterns to see which features create the most value.

Conduct before-and-after studies to quantify improvements.

Test different value propositions to see which generate the strongest response.

Creating Case Studies That Showcase the Best Solution to Complex Problems

Case studies transform abstract metrics into compelling narratives demonstrating your solution’s effectiveness. The most powerful case studies include:

Clear problem definition. Articulate the bottleneck’s scope and impact.

Stakeholder perspectives. Include multiple viewpoints on the challenge.

Solution process. Outline the analytical thinking and problem-solving steps.

Quantifiable results. Present specific improvements with concrete metrics.

Long-term impact. Demonstrate sustained benefits over time and how the problem was solved.

By effectively measuring and communicating your impact, you transform your solution from a product or service into a proven answer to a critical challenge. This not only drives adoption of your current offering but positions you to identify and solve additional bottlenecks as your business grows.

Turning Bottlenecks Into Breakthrough Opportunities

The journey from identifying a hidden bottleneck to building a successful business follows a clear, structured problem-solving process. Our greatest entrepreneurial value often comes not from creating something entirely new, but from addressing critical inefficiencies others have overlooked.

While technological innovations capture headlines, some of the most impactful contributions come from those who address longstanding industry inefficiencies. These problem solvers don’t just build profitable businesses; they unlock the potential of entire systems that have been needlessly constrained. Entrepreneurs who solve such fundamental bottlenecks create ripple effects extending far beyond their immediate customers.

To identify bottleneck opportunities in your field:

Look for persistent complaints dismissed as “just how things work.”

Identify where resources sit idle while other parts of the system are constrained.

Notice elaborate workarounds people develop for simple tasks.

Listen for emotional language signaling deep frustration.

Target bottlenecks affecting multiple stakeholders and the entire organization simultaneously.

The most promising opportunities often lie at the intersection of significant pain and institutional blindness—where inefficiency has been accepted as inevitable.

The Rewards of Solving Problems That Truly Matter

Building a business around solving critical bottlenecks offers rewards beyond financial success. The greatest reward comes from removing constraints that have needlessly limited human potential.

By directing your entrepreneurial energy toward addressing critical bottlenecks with disciplined analysis and execution, you can build a business that doesn’t just succeed, but truly matters. The world needs more innovators focused on solving the right problems and ensuring their solutions are effectively implemented.