Easing Their Pain: The True Path to Entrepreneurial Success

In the 1989 film Field of Dreams, the protagonist, Ray Kinsella, hears a mysterious voice whisper, “If you build it, he will come.” Taking this message as divine guidance, he builds a baseball field in the middle of his Iowa corn farm. While the field does ultimately attract long-lost baseball legends and even reconnects him with his late father, the phrase has often been misinterpreted in business as a justification for the “build it and they will come” mentality.

Many entrepreneurs believe that simply launching a product or service guarantees success, but the reality is far different. A more instructive takeaway from the movie comes from another cryptic message Ray receives: “Ease his pain.” In the context of entrepreneurship, this is the real key—successful businesses identify and alleviate pain points rather than assume that customers will come merely because something exists.

The Myth of "Build It and They Will Come"

Entrepreneurs often fall into the trap of believing that a good idea alone is enough to ensure business success. They invest time and resources into developing a product or service based on their personal passion or vision without first ensuring that it addresses a real problem. The reality is that markets do not automatically respond to supply; demand must exist or be cultivated through problem-solving.

Many failed startups serve as cautionary tales. Consider Google Glass, an ambitious product that promised futuristic wearable technology. The company built it, but customers didn’t come—at least not in the numbers necessary for success. Why? Because Google Glass failed to ease a specific pain point for consumers. Instead of solving a pressing problem, it offered an intriguing yet impractical innovation. Contrast this with the success of companies like Airbnb, which recognized the pain point of expensive hotel stays and provided an affordable, flexible lodging alternative.

"Ease Their Pain" – The Entrepreneur’s True Mission

The real lesson from Field of Dreams is not blind faith in an idea but rather the importance of identifying and addressing customer pain points. Ray Kinsella’s true purpose wasn’t just building a baseball field; it was healing the emotional wounds of his father and the ghostly ballplayers seeking closure. Entrepreneurs must adopt the same mindset.

Successful businesses don’t just create—they heal. Apple recognized the frustration of complicated technology interfaces and eased that pain with user-friendly products. Tesla saw the growing concern over climate change and high fuel costs and offered an innovative electric vehicle solution. In each case, success came from solving a relevant, pressing issue rather than assuming people would flock to a product simply because it existed.

Further, successful business-to-business or “B2B “products must deliver undeniable financial value, either by helping customers increase revenue or significantly reduce costs. To justify the investment, these solutions should enable customers to recoup their initial purchase price within 12-18 months.

Whether through automation that cuts labor expenses, software that streamlines operations, or tools that enhance productivity, the ROI must be clear and compelling. Businesses operate on financial logic, and unless a product provides substantial, measurable savings or earnings within a reasonable timeframe, adoption will be slow. The best B2B offerings position themselves as indispensable investments, not just expenses, ensuring rapid and tangible returns.

My former company, Tollgrade Communications, Inc. sold equipment to telephone companies. We experienced only marginal success with them because we addressed relatively minor telecom network problems and could not prove a solid payback.

Our “home run” product helped telephone companies not send repair people to homes whose problems didn’t require a technician intervention, such as someone leaving a telephone off the hook.

Our telephone company customers shot trouble on 5% of its lines a month. We knew half of this calls were false dispatches. And it was a big number. Back then, a big telephone customer managed service on 40 million telephone lines. If they made false dispatches on 2.5% of their lines at $300 per dispatch, they wasted up to $300 million a month. We could eliminate a lot of those calls. Talk about easing their pain.

Practical Application: How Entrepreneurs Can Ease Customer Pain

To follow this principle, entrepreneurs must:

1. Identify real problems – Conduct market research, listen to potential customers, and find unmet needs.

2. Offer a compelling solution – Ensure that the product or service directly addresses a specific pain point.

3. Communicate value effectively – Show customers how the solution improves their lives.

4. Iterate based on feedback – Continuously refine the offering to better serve the target audience.

The lesson from Field of Dreams isn’t that businesses should blindly create and expect customers to appear. Rather, it teaches that success comes from addressing real problems—easing pain, not just building for the sake of building. Entrepreneurs who embrace this mindset will find that when they solve genuine issues, customers will not only come—they will stay.

Chris Allison, Co-Founder and CEO of Tollgrade Communications, Inc., teaches business at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA and is the author of the new book, Hit It!: A Tech Startup Story and Seven Rules For Entrepreneurs.