#21. You Can Fix a Weak Product—You Can’t Fix a Weak Market
Insights on market fit, product demand, and mastering the balance between building and operating.
Welcome to the 21st Free edition of More than Buzzwords—your weekly dose of sharp, experience-backed startup wisdom! 🚀
If you're a founder, an operator, or someone looking to level up in business, this edition is packed with insights that actually move the needle.
Here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside:
🔹 Founder Lessons, One Tweet at a Time – Handpicked, high-impact tweets breaking down key lessons on building, scaling, and decision-making.
🔹 The Startup Spotlight – A closer look at Swish, the Bengaluru-based startup betting big on 10-minute food delivery.
🔹 Podcast Takeaways – Kunal Shah on winning in India, second-order thinking, and what it really takes to build products that last.
Let’s dive in! 👇
The X Factor: Wisdom from Startup Minds 🤓
I’ve decoded some of the best tweets I’ve come across on X.com (formerly Twitter)—straight from the minds of founders and industry leaders, delivered right to your inbox!
The internet is flooded with opinions, but only a handful truly matter. Each week, I cut through the noise and bring you the sharpest, most actionable insights from those who’ve been in the trenches.
This week’s lineup delivers unconventional wisdom—on when to build vs. operate, why product isn’t everything, and the mindsets that can make or break a startup. 👇
#1. Builders vs. Operators: Which one are you? 🛠
When I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I thought I had to pick between being a builder or an operator.
The leader who thrives in the chaos of creation—driven by curiosity, passion, and the thrill of building something from nothing. Or the one who brings clarity in complexity—focusing on structure, processes, and scaling efficiently.
In the early days, I was a builder through and through. The ambiguity was energizing. Ideas flowed, experiments thrived, and creativity shaped our path.
But as we grew, I realized that what got us here wouldn’t get us there. Scaling required a shift—an operator’s mindset to bring structure without losing that innovative spirit.
That’s when I learned the most important lesson: you don’t have to choose. The real magic lies in knowing when to build and when to operate.
As a leader, being able to switch between these modes—embracing creativity when it’s time to innovate, and clarity when it’s time to scale—can be a game-changer.
So, as you reflect on your own journey, ask yourself: Where are you today—a builder, an operator, or a leader learning to balance both?
This tweet emphasizes that leadership isn’t about picking a lane—it’s about knowing when to shift gears.
Every startup moves through various phases: first, the chaotic, fast-moving building phase, where experimentation and iteration matter most. Then comes the scaling phase, where clarity, efficiency, and execution take center stage.
Understanding which phase you're in helps you apply the right mindset. Try to scale with a builder’s mindset, and things might break. Try to build with an operator’s mindset, and you might move too slowly. Timing matters.
If you’re too rigid in one mindset, you risk bottlenecking growth. Adaptability is the ultimate founder superpower.
#2. Market demand > Product perfection 💯
The best way to win is not to start by developing a strong product but to discover a strong market need.
If there's a strong market need, but you have a weak product, you can iterate and make the product better over time.
You can control your product iteration.
You can't control market pull.
It's much easier to make a product more compelling than it is to make people care.
Image taken from Dharmesh’s tweet
Most people assume that the best way to succeed is to build an amazing product first. But that’s backwards. A great product in a weak market is like a perfectly cooked steak at a vegan festival—nobody’s buying.
This tweet flips the script: The smartest founders don’t start with what they want to build; they start with who they’re building for.
If there’s a strong market need but your product isn’t perfect yet, you have room to iterate. You can make a weak product better. But if nobody cares about the problem you’re solving, no amount of polishing will save you.
The biggest advantage you can have? Demand that already exists. Find it, and everything else becomes easier.
#3. No-Fluff Startup Wisdom in under 30 words 🗣️
Right now, someone is struggling with what you find easy. That's your market.
We tend to dismiss what comes naturally to us. If something feels easy, we assume it must be obvious to everyone. But that’s rarely the case.
This tweet is a powerful reminder: What’s effortless for you is valuable to someone else.
Your knowledge, skills, or experiences—things you barely think twice about—could be the exact solution someone is searching for.
You can write tremendously and know exactly what makes writing convert? Sell a writing course.
Have decades of experience leading teams and hiring top talent? Start a leadership coaching business or a hiring consultancy to help companies build stronger teams.
Have a knack for automating workflows and making things more efficient? There’s a market of businesses willing to pay for that skill.
The best opportunities aren’t always about inventing something new. They’re about recognizing what you already know and packaging it in a way that helps others.
The market isn’t just what you want to offer—it’s what people need from you. Pay attention.
#4. Not All Advice Is Good Advice 🚫
Hot take:
More business ideas are killed by casual advice from friends than actual business risks.
This tweet is a reminder that everyone has an opinion on your ideas—especially those who have never built anything themselves.
The truth is, more businesses die in conversations than in execution. A friend’s casual doubt, a family member’s concern, or a passing comment from someone who’s never taken the leap can make you second-guess yourself.
Want to build something? Then take advice only from those who have walked the path you want to take.
Keep your ideas close until they’re executed. Most people won’t see the vision until it’s real—by then, their opinions won’t matter anyway.
Which tweet resonated with you the most? What is your biggest learning from these insights shaped by experience of startup veterans? Leave a comment and let us know!
No amount of motivational quotes, blogs, or speeches can influence you and motivate you to take action like real-life examples do.
New startups emerge every day—some leave a lasting impact, while others fade into obscurity. The startup we’re going to explore today is still in its early stages, but it’s on its way from the streets of HSR in Bengaluru to a wider audience and new markets.
Let’s take a look at how and why a group of crypto enthusiasts decided to launch yet another food delivery app.
Spotlight on a Startup: Swish 🍽️
10-Minute Food Delivery is Here! 🚀
First, it was groceries in 10 minutes. Now? It’s full meals. Swish, a Bengaluru-based startup, is redefining convenience with its ultra-fast food delivery model.
Ujjwal Sukheja, Aniket Shah, and Saran S. founded Swish with a vision to make fresh, delicious food accessible faster than ever.
Swish started small—delivering just snacks. But demand skyrocketed, and now the platform offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, beverages, and more—all in under 10 minutes.
Unlike traditional food delivery platforms that rely on partner restaurants, Swish operates its own network of cloud kitchens strategically placed across the city.
This ensures that meals are prepared and delivered faster, without relying on third-party vendors.
But does ultra-fast food delivery come at a cost? 🚦 While the idea is exciting, concerns have been raised about:
⚠️ Food quality & freshness—Can a meal prepared in minutes maintain taste and hygiene standards?
⚠️ Road safety—Does the pressure for speed can result in unsafe driving conditions for delivery workers?
Despite these concerns, consumer demand for instant convenience is growing. For busy professionals, students, and anyone who doesn’t want to wait an hour for food, Swish presents an alternative: quick, efficient, and on-demand meals.
Investors certainly see potential. Swish has recently secured $14M in Series A funding from Hara Global, Accel, and industry veterans like Kunal Shah (CRED), Gaurav Munjal (Unacademy), and Sumer Juneja (SoftBank).
This follows their $2M seed round in November, signaling rapid expansion plans.
Swish began in HSR Layout, Bengaluru, but they’re not stopping there. With strong backing and a hyper-efficient delivery model, they’re now scaling operations into new micro-markets across the city.
But what do you think? Would you order a meal in 10 minutes, or do concerns about freshness and safety make you hesitate? Let’s discuss! 🍽️💨
Podcast Takeaways: What It Really Takes to Build in India 📈
If you could listen to only one podcast in your life for startup, career, and strategy lessons, let it be this one- Kunal Shah on winning in India, second-order thinking, the philosophy of startups, and more.
Kunal Shah’s conversation on Lenny’s Podcast is packed with unconventional insights on India’s startup ecosystem, second-order thinking, and what it takes to build enduring companies.
Here are my 5 key takeaways from this brilliant conversation: 👇
1️⃣ DAUs are easy, ARPU is hard.
India has no shortage of daily active users (DAUs). The real challenge? Getting them to pay. Unlike Western markets, where users are accustomed to subscriptions and don’t mind spending a lot, India operates on a lower per capita income.
Convincing users to part with their hard-earned money takes more than just a good product—it requires a deep understanding of purchasing behavior.
To succeed here, companies must consider freemium models, tiered pricing, in-app purchases, or ad-supported revenue streams.
Trust-building is of utmost importance. People are hesitant to pay upfront for something unproven, so brands need to create undeniable value before monetizing.
This is why so many global tech companies enter India for the sheer scale but struggle to turn engagement into revenue.
2️⃣ India operates on fixed salaries, not hourly wages.
Unlike the U.S., where people track earnings down to the hour, Indians are wired differently. Hourly wages are rare, and most people work on fixed monthly salaries. As a result, the perception of time value is different.
People might spend hours standing in line for a small discount without realizing they’re losing more in time than they’re saving in money. This makes time-based pricing models (like consulting by the hour) harder to implement.
For founders, it means businesses that rely on time-sensitive transactions or productivity optimization face a steep cultural challenge in India.
3️⃣ The Delta 4 Rule: Creating Irresistible Products
For a product to truly take off, it needs to be at least four points better than the current alternative. The Delta 4 framework measures this by asking users to rate both the new and existing solution on a scale of 1 to 10.
If the difference (delta) is 4 or more, the product is not just an improvement—it’s a game-changer.
This gap makes users more tolerant of early flaws and eager to spread the word, driving organic growth. Think Uber vs. traditional taxis or smartphones vs. basic mobile phones—once people switch, they rarely go back.
4️⃣ Obsessed people create real breakthroughs.
The most successful people don’t just stay busy—they focus on solving hard problems.
Kunal’s simple test: Ask someone, “What’s the hardest problem you solved last month?” If they struggle to answer, they’re likely just going through the motions rather than making a real impact.
True disruptors obsess over finding, tackling, and solving problems that move the needle. They aren’t just executing tasks; they’re actively displacing the status quo.
For founders and professionals, this means regularly stepping back and evaluating whether your work is truly creating impact—or if you’re just filling your calendar with meetings.
5️⃣ Second-order thinking is a superpower.
Kunal constantly pushes himself with second-order thinking exercises—hypothetical scenarios that force deep problem-solving.
For example, he asks:
👉 “If everyone who took a COVID vaccine died tonight, what would the world look like in 12 months?”
This is a completely hypothetical event but it allows one to think about cascading consequences—what happens to economies, politics, industries, and human behavior?
Second-order thinking helps founders anticipate outcomes, see patterns before others, and make better strategic decisions. It’s what separates great decision-makers from the rest.
This episode is my absolute favorite podcast to go back to whenever I need fresh perspective, strategic clarity, or need a mental reset on how to approach problems.
If you’re building a startup, navigating a career, or just want to level up your thinking—this is a must-listen.
What’s your biggest takeaway from the podcast? 🚀
This brings us to the end of this edition of More than Buzzwords. I hope you found some actionable insights and valuable tips for your career in this newsletter.
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For more insights from my journey, connect with me on LinkedIn. And if you have any feedback or questions, feel free to drop me an email at saurabh.substack.2407@gmail.com —I’d love to hear from you!