Opportunity Discovery
The opportunity was visible to everyone in San Francisco that week.
The business case
Three Air Mattresses and a Rent Cheque — Brian Chesky & Joe Gebbia · San Francisco · October 2007. In September 2007 Joe Gebbia emailed his former roommate Brian Chesky. Both were design graduates, both were unemployed, and rent in San Francisco was due.
Why it matters
The opportunity was visible to everyone in San Francisco that week. Thousands of residents knew the conference was coming. Thousands owned spare mattresses, sofas and spare rooms. What Gebbia did differently was connect two ordinary facts — hotels are full, I have floor space — and act on the connection within weeks. Opportunity discovery is rarely about finding something nobody has seen. It is about looking at something everyone has seen and asking a question nobody bothered to ask.
What you will be able to do afterwards
- What actually counts as a real problem
- The 5 Problem Zones — where every business idea comes from
- Pain versus Irritation versus Injustice
33 screens, audio-narrated, with a quiz at the end.