Entrepreneur

Addictive substances are a cheat code.

That advice definitely doesn’t apply to lots and lots of entire industries and companies. What problem does a cobalt mine solve? What problem does a towing company solve? What problem does a HVAC repair company solve? Obviously you could say the problem of broken HVAC, but most people would agree that the service is somewhat replaceable, so the adage is a bad fit. All of those companies would do better to focus on things like operating efficiency or capital decisions.

Sugar craving.

Have you climbed a mountain on a scorching hot day and saw a bottle of coke on the fridge. They sparkle!

Kittens in trees I believe..

Not every company or product is solving a problem.

Bottled water is clearly solving a problem. That doesn’t make it necessarily a good business because of crazy competition in the market.

Prime isn’t solving a problem. They’ve created a market based on branding. People want to see them with that brand as a way to exhibit some aspect of personal choice and style.

Liquid Death is similar. They’re not solving a problem. It’s great branding/marketing.

All those things probably solve multiple problems.

I can watch movies because

1. I’m bored
2. Enjoy a moment with my wife
3. Have fun with friends
4. To relax
5. To learn something

It’s more complex than just being entertained. I don’t drink coke but I’d assume it’s something similar and more complex than just thirst or liking sugar.

At the base, they solve boredom.
Coke - boredom of taste Movies/games - boredom of time

You can fill the rest with all the business answers you want but to me it seems that basic.

I'd say more or less the same problem ice cream is solving.

I don’t care how bad coca cola is for you that shit is tasty and refreshing.

In Chiapas Mexico, Coca Cola serves as a secure pseudo clean water source. You can drink Coca Cola on a hot day, it serves as a candy to bring pleasure when you drink it, help with tiredness, etc.

Thirst

Thirst

You’re need for a sugar rush

Coca Cola invented "Santa Claus."

So you tell me...

Didnt it used to have cocaine in it lol

It feels great on a hot day, is sugary (addictive), and doesn't cost enough to count as an unnecessary expense, and is easily available. It's habitual from childhood and seen as a fun treat when you're a kid (fizzy, sugary soda), and when you're grown up, half the time you're drinking it for familiarity comfort feeling, whether you know it or not. Plus it goes with beer (shandies) and goes with hard booze (rum n coke etc).

I would say, in the case of these products, they're not solving any "real" problem. What they're selling is a dream of a better life through consumption. The graving for this better life through consumption is created by these industries themselves. People are bombarded by ads every day painting a picture of what life should look like, what happiness looks like. Due to the absence of real and healthy pictures of what a happy life actually can look like without consumption, this distorted image is accepted as the social norm, resulting in a craving to fit in, leading to more consumption. Behold, a self-reinforcing system of wants overshadowing your actual needs was created.

The fact that you grouped Coca Cola, games, and movies all together here tells me you really need to go back to square one. Unlearn all of the bullshit you think you know about business. Not everything can be explained through the “lean startup” framework.

Art, entertainment, and commodities are not the same as Google Chrome widgets or SAAS companies...

Sugar and cocaine aside, it’s a beverage. An alternative to water or wine.

Look up what it was when it was founded. Then add the timing and customer adoption, and then learn about marketing and brand recognition strategies from the people who wrote the book.

Coke is the iPhone of beverages.

I’ve never understood why people on this sub are so much into ”solving a problem“, as if it‘s the only way to make money. Is that all you know about business and entrepreneurship?

I‘ll tell you what, it‘s all about supply and demand. A few more factors, but that summarizes it perfectly I figure.

It fills a craving for something sweet you can drink. The "problem" it solves does not need to be taken so literally, otherwise you'll just horse dance into bullshit answers like "it solves boredom". Businesses can fulfill wants and needs. Problems are usually found in the needs category. Drinking Coke is a want.

Not really solving a problem, but creating an addiction, just like social media or game companies do. Coca cola tastes great, and if you've had it once you want to taste it again.

The secret to a successful business, isn’t solving a problem. It’s creating one. Whether this be long term, like a “new age” fridge, that’s probably broken every three years, so you should definitely get (read pay) extra insurance for it hehe. Funny how 20 yrs ago, a fridge would last 20 yrs otherwise peeps wouldn’t want it. Anyhow this could also be a short term problem. Like winning the lottery, if you just buy a ticket o n c e it could mean the end of all your troubles. Cuz after all, you only need to win once right? In the meantime, besides the loyal seekers of richness, it’s the one time try’ers that being in the big bucks. Time and time again.

Cocacola, games movies: Dopamine

Dropshipping: Allows manufacturers to offload marketing onto the retailers, allows retailers to market without stock and shipping operations

Luxury goods: Satisfies peoples need for status and recognition. Not everyone has this need.

A thirst and low energy.

The flow of money- it goes in one hand and out the next. As long as this is happening, that is a good thing.

Coca Cola Solves a problem, but not for the 21st century person.

It solves it for the 200.000 year old homo sapiens who has an instinct embedded that whenever you have access to calories, to ingest as many of them as possible as you never know when you will be having access to them next, especially if they are in the form of glucose as in the environment this form is rare in large quantities.

I think retroactively trying to apply frameworks to successful household names can be an exercise in overfitting. Coca cola sold a tasty drink that people liked and was different to what else was available, they then ramped up manufacturing and branding better than others. I don't think it solved any particular problem.

Easy, the problem of being thirsty and not sexy enough

Headaches, sleepiness, thirst.

What else would we mix with brandy?

The amount of brandy and coke consumed in a day i. South Africa will astound you

Not enough ads in life.

Entertainment, boredom, thirst/hunger, status, tiredness, and probably a dozen other reasons why humans decide to crack a cold one.

When you’ve been a player as long as Coca Cola, it literally does not matter.

With these mega-companies, it’s all about market share. I listened to a podcast earlier where Steve Ballmer talked about how they were plenty of other word processors on the scene when they launched Microsoft Word and it was just a matter of outlasting and outperforming them. Look at where it is now. The Microsoft guys didn’t solve any problems that weren’t already solved, but rode it out (with the help of heavy investment in IBM) until they were the last one standing.

Nonalcoholic stuff for consuming of chips

Thirst + Calorific Needs + Caffeine

They provide a 'feel good' factor that water or juice can't provide.

People are thirsty

It's causing problems, just tastes good.

need=problem

Coca Cola solves thirst .. obviously

People are thirsty and want refreshing fizzy sweet drinks.

Every business solves a problem in a sense.

A restaurant solves many problems. Not just hunger, but also if you don't have a place to celebrate a birthday or wedding.

A lot of “problems” in capitalism are invented so they can be “solved” with products. It’s just manipulation.

Solve a problem, fix a need, fix a want or enhance happiness or pleasure