What Customers Ask For vs. What They Actually Want from Problem Solvers

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What Customers Ask For vs. What They Actually Want

27 minutes Posted Oct 5, 2026 at 7:00 am.

The "faster horses" myth

Welcome to Problem Solvers

The SimpliSafe origin story: renters vs. homeowners

What happens after product-market fit?

Meet the guests

What product-market fit actually feels like

Should you build everything customers ask for?

Why you have to keep asking "why"

From "more cameras" to crime prevention

Fact check: Henry Ford never said it

What customers really want: peace of mind

Making a costly service profitable with AI

Launching a product that doesn't scale yet

Why big companies forget to prototype

Build things you're willing to throw away

What's next for SimpliSafe

The innovator's dilemma of a cheaper product

Mining customer support calls for insight

Go back to what made you great

The mission: every home secure

Long-term value comes from creating value

Wrap-up

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Show notes

SimpliSafe was built for renters. Renters didn't buy it. Homeowners did. Jason has told that story for years, because it's a perfect lesson in how founders get their customer wrong. But he never asked the obvious follow-up: once you finally find the right customer, then what? Now, 20 years in, SimpliSafe founder Chad Laurans and CEO Hilary Schneider reveal what comes after product-market fit, and why customers asking for "more cameras" didn't actually want more cameras.

This episode of Problem Solvers is presented by AT&T Business. To learn more about how the right connectivity can help support your business as it grows, visit att.com/smallbusiness.

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