As a founder or team leader, it’s important to step into new projects with confidence. That confidence often comes from experience, a solid plan, and deep knowledge of your product. But no matter how much we know, there’s one truth I’ve learned: customers have the most direct, real-world experience with the problems our products aim to solve.
Customers deal with these issues daily. We, as founders, focus on building solutions and can sometimes be far from the real-time challenges our customers face. To bridge that gap, it’s important to listen closely and stay open to their insights. Each conversation helps us build better solutions.
Lessons
This past week reminded me of this. During a product demo, a customer shared challenges they faced managing warranties in a large retail environment. They explained that expensive equipment often goes unclaimed under warranty—not because support isn’t available, but because employees don’t know about the warranties. This gave me an idea: add new tracking features so teams can easily manage warranty claims before they expire. It was a small update, but it could save a lot of money and simplify workflows.
Later in the week, I had another conversation about Loss Prevention and Asset Protection (LP/AP). What started as a talk about improving reporting processes turned into a deeper discussion about business resilience. I realized that LP/AP processes don’t just protect assets; they also empower employees to make better decisions.
This took me back to my Public Health Promotion studies. In public health, prevention is much cheaper than treatment. A proactive approach saves both money and lives. The same is true for business resilience. Investing in it now prevents costly problems later, just like preventative healthcare.
We’re seeing headlines about Organized Retail Crime and its huge impact on businesses. Like a health crisis that needs intervention, we can’t ignore these challenges. But imagine if we treated LP/AP the same way we treat exercise or healthy eating. Just like good habits prevent health problems, investing in business resilience can reduce the need for costly fixes.
Building the Solution
In my work, that’s the goal: to create software that builds resilience, helps clients face challenges, and gives them strategies to prevent issues. Every customer conversation, every piece of feedback, brings us closer to this vision.
The solutions aren’t always easy. Building tools that promote resilience and adaptability requires constant learning and a willingness to rethink things. But thinking long-term and focusing on bigger-picture goals isn’t just exciting—it’s necessary. Every interaction shows me the power of thoughtful, resilient solutions to meet today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s.
As I continue growing AdmiralBridge, I’m more committed than ever to listening to our customers. I want to build software that not only solves problems but empowers people, encourages proactive thinking, and fosters resilience across the organizations we serve.