At a time when entrepreneurs are trying to build competitive advantage through technology, Beata Drzazga draws attention to something much more fundamental—the real and measurable needs of consumers. In her opinion, technology should be an important tool, but it is equally important to constantly listen to customer needs rather than setting the direction for change in the market.

Let’s start with the basics. How do you understand creating value for the customer? What is the initial impulse that determines that it is worth building a company?

Creating value begins with a thorough understanding of what consumers need, both economically and emotionally. The market is where these needs are signaled. So when we see someone, somewhere, wasting time, money, or energy, or settling for inferior products, we have a signal that there is room for entrepreneurial action. The impulse does not come from trendy technology or abstract ideas of innovation, but from analysis: somewhere, something is being wasted; somewhere, something more effective can be created.

Value arises when an entrepreneur is able to correctly interpret these signals, and not when he/she designs the world according to his/her own ideas a15> newly according to his own ideas. It is necessary to study real human behavior, which can be simplified, where there is a lack of freedom of choice. Only when this is clear, does the question of technology arise, the organization of processes, the scale of the undertaking. First there must be a need, only then a solution. This order allows the creation of companies, which do not imitate actions, but actually solve problems. Let’s combine as quickly as possible knowledge about the needs of customers with introduced already implemented technology, in order to respond faster than the competition.

Very often we see the opposite phenomenon. First the technology is developed, and only then does it look for its application.

Technology very often becomes the starting point as if its availability itself was the reason a9> its availability was the reason for building a new business. Examples can be multiplied, television 3D, metaverse, these are technologies, which have proven to be unnecessary to consumers. The problem is that the technology is not an economic category, it says nothing about demand, consumer preferences or a43> about whether, if its application removes any inefficiency.

It is easy to get the impression that we must be modern, that if a given technology is making waves in online discussions among experts, then its implementation is a must. In practice, this leads to a situation where entrepreneurs begin to attach strategic importance to technology, even though they cannot identify a specific process in which it would improve economic performance. The introduction of innovation begins to be motivated by external pressure rather than market logic.

Technology should therefore be a tool subordinated to a clearly defined problem. In this logic, it is neither a goal nor decoration. It is a reasonable choice, but only when it increases the value produced.

What, in your opinion, distinguishes an entrepreneur who truly listens to people from one who does not? a9> one who listens only to himself?

The difference is fundamental and determines whether whether the company will become an effective market player, or just a project of someone else’s own ambitions. An entrepreneur who knows how to listen assumes that the market is more complex than his own perceptions. It treats signals coming from consumers as the most important a37> source of information. This is an analytical attitude, which requires curiosity, distance from oneself and consistent verification of assumptions.

On the other hand, an entrepreneur who only listens to themselves operates in a world of theoretical constructs. They may give enthusiastic presentations and be strongly convinced that they are right, but if they do not confront this with the real experience of users, they are creating a product for themselves. Such a company quickly loses touch with the market and becomes prone to strategic errors.

Therefore, listening should not be treated as a “soft” activity, but as an element of operational management. Feedback from the market influences decisions about investments, technological priorities, which processes to scale and which to simplify. If an entrepreneur takes these signals seriously, the company begins to function as a learning system, able to reject projects that are not promising, correct assumptions, and test hypotheses on a small scale before turning them into costly ventures. This distinguishes sustainable organizations from those that live solely by their own narrative; the former grow at the pace of the market, while the latter begin to argue with it until they eventually lose sight of it. Technology and listening to the customer must go hand in hand.

So how do we look for real problems to solve? How do we start, since we already know it’s not about technology?

Finding a real problem does not start with brainstorming, but with observing consumer behavior. You need to see where processes are inefficient, where time or resources are wasted, where consumers have to settle for low quality or lack of choice, where they wait in lines or are unable to buy the things they need. That’s where the potential lies.

The biggest mistake is going out to people in search of confirmation of your own theories. Then we only see what we want to see. Instead, you have to let the market reveal its weaknesses. The best ideas often arise from very mundane questions, such as what works unnecessarily complicated, where do information or resource flows get blocked, why do people have to perform tasks that contribute nothing?

Answers to these questions lead to solutions that improve the allocation of resources. Only when the problem is recognized, not at the level of opinion, but at the level of facts, begins the stage of designing technologies and processes. This is precisely what distinguishes entrepreneurship from engineering, an entrepreneur discovers a problem, an engineer creates a solution. The order is crucial.

How in a world full of fashionable trends to remain sober and not succumb pressure to implement something just because because others are doing it?

I have seen organizations invest huge amounts of money in solutions that are completely detached from their business model. The result was predictable: team frustration, reorganization costs, and a decline in service quality. A trend only becomes relevant when it has value for the customer.

That is why I always return to observing real processes. If I see that a technology can improve key indicators, shorten response times, increase security, or streamline flows, then it is worth considering. If not, there is no reason to follow the trend. A company must be rational, not trendy. And sobriety in assessing trends is one of the most underrated management skills.

In such a case as maintaining contact with reality and taking care of the process of creating value, when the company is growing and has increasingly complex structures?

An entrepreneur should have permanent access to those places where his company comes into contact with customers. It is not about symbolic visits, only about systematic observation of processes, how the service is provided, where there are bottlenecks, what decisions are made by people on a daily basis.

Complex structures create the illusion that the world can be described in reports and tables. Meanwhile, a company operates in a reality that cannot always be captured in numbers. Technology, procedures, and systems are necessary, but they serve a supporting function; they are meant to enhance efficiency, not undermine it. When we forget this balance, bureaucracy begins to dominate and the distance between the company and its customers grows.

You have to pay attention to how needs and behaviors change. The market does not stand still. Expectations are growing, processes are evolving, competition is emerging, and new technological opportunities are changing the way entire sectors operate. If a company wants to grow, it must be able to learn faster than others. And learning requires observation, dialogue, and a willingness to make adjustments.

A company lasts as long as it can maintain its raison d’être. And that raison d’être stems from responding to the real needs of the market. Scale, technology, and ambition are irrelevant if that foundation is missing. It is in this ability to constantly recognize and redefine value that I see the true strength of a company.

Beata Drzazga- Entrepreneur, – www.beatadrzazga.pl – creator, philanthropist, founder of many companies in Poland, including: BetaMed S.A. – the largest a12> company in the medical sector in Poland, providing long-term care services. Owner Dono da Scheggia, Drzazga Clinic, Global Impact Beata Drzazga and Beata Drzazga Foundation. She is also the founder of companies behind a31> abroad: BetaMed International in Las Vegas, BetaInvest in Miami, BetaNest Electronic in Miami, Viviane Group in Spain. Expert in management, author of texts business for entrepreneurs. Participant in many economic missions in, among others, Nevada, Peru, and Chile.

Source: Business And Life