Problem
Research the pain: find specific, persistent problems people already pay to solve
Is the problem I'm solving painful, persistent, and specific enough that people will pay to make it go away?
You don't have a solution problem.
You have a problem problem.
The problem you picked sounds good on paper — but does it actually keep anyone up at night, or make them reach for a wallet?
You're solving symptoms. Building for the visible complaint instead of the root cause sitting underneath it.
You assume pain means payment. People complain about plenty of things they'll never actually spend a cent to fix.
It's a problem only you see. It feels urgent to you, but your market doesn't recognize it or prioritize paying to solve it.
You've never ranked severity. No way to tell a mild annoyance from a problem people will pay real money to end.
From a problem that sounds good to one people pay to solve
"I assumed I knew what problem my market had because I could see the obvious symptoms."
"I can trace surface complaints to root causes, rank problems by severity and persistence, and validate whether people will actually pay to solve them — not just complain about them."
The shift: a problem worth solving isn't one people talk about. It's one they spend money on.
You don't just watch lessons.
You leave with 12 real artifacts.
Working documents you actually use — not generic worksheets. By the end they add up to a problem you've proven people will pay to solve.
Symptom Collection Framework
Collect the real symptoms your audience actually complains about.
Pain Pattern Map
Cluster scattered complaints into clear pain patterns.
Severity Scoring System
Rank each pain by severity and persistence.
Pain Audit
Your directory- or niche-specific pain audit.
Root Cause Analysis Method
Dig past the symptoms to the underlying root cause.
Symptom-to-Source Chain
Trace each complaint down to its real source.
Root Cause Confirmation Test
Confirm you've found the true cause, not another symptom.
Root Cause Map
Your directory- or niche-specific root cause map.
Pain-to-Price Framework
Translate pain severity into what people will pay.
Alternative Cost Analysis
Weigh your solution against the cost of the alternatives.
Willingness-to-Pay Validation
Validate willingness to pay with real spending behavior.
Problem Pricing
Your directory- or niche-specific problem pricing.
Three moves: surface the symptoms → find the root cause → price the pain
Pain
SymptomsThe visible symptoms your audience experiences and complains about.
- Listen Run the Symptom Collection Framework
- Cluster Build the Pain Pattern Map
- Rank Apply the Severity Scoring System
- Surface Run your directory / niche pain audit
Pattern
Root causeThe underlying root cause that most people don't see yet.
- Dig Use the Root Cause Analysis Method
- Connect Trace the Symptom-to-Source Chain
- Validate Run the Root Cause Confirmation Test
- Trace Build your directory / niche root cause map
Price
Willing to payWhether the pain is severe and persistent enough that people pay to solve it.
- Quantify Apply the Pain-to-Price Framework
- Compare Run the Alternative Cost Analysis
- Confirm Validate Willingness-to-Pay
- Value Set your directory / niche problem pricing
More than videos —
a learning system
Every lesson lives in a platform built to help you actually absorb, apply, and return to the work.
AI Chat per lesson
Ask questions and pull key points, action items, and reflections from any lesson.
Searchable transcripts
The full text of every video — search it, scan it, jump straight to the part you need.
Highlights
Mark the passages that matter and filter the transcript down to just your highlights.
Bookmarks
Save the exact moments you'll want to come back to and reopen them in a click.
Notes
Keep personal notes saved right inside each lesson, exactly where you wrote them.
Playlists
Build custom collections of lessons and sequence the path that fits you.
Certificate
Auto-issued the moment you complete every lesson in the course.
Podcast mode
Listen to the course as audio in any podcast app — learn on the move.
Video controls
Closed captions, speed controls, picture-in-picture, and theatre mode — watch your way.
Favorites
Heart any lesson to pin it to your favorites for quick access later.
History & resume
Pick up exactly where you left off — your place is always saved.
Threaded comments
Discuss each lesson with other students in threaded conversations.
Is this course your right next step?
This is for you if…
- You suspect you're solving a symptom, not the real problem.
- You want to know if people will actually pay — not just complain.
- You want to trace surface complaints down to their root cause.
- You want to rank problems by severity and persistence.
- You want real artifacts — a root cause map, a pricing read — not just content.
This is NOT for you if…
- You want reassurance the problem you picked is the right one.
- You've already validated real willingness to pay.
- You'd rather build first and discover the problem later.
- You count "that's a great idea" as proof people will pay.
Be one of the first to tell your story
These courses are brand new. Once you've done the work, tell us how it changed your thinking — your words could be the first testimonial featured right here.
"Here's how this course changed the way I…"
your story here
"The part that surprised me most was…"
your story here
Three ways to go deeper
This course is one piece of a bigger system. Here's the whole map — and where you are on it.
University
Learn at your own paceThis course — full University access is $80 on its own.
Launchpad
Get the tools to execute-
Ebook$10narrative deep-dive
-
Checklists$15self-assessment diagnostic
-
Journal$20reflective application + AI prompts
-
Workbook$25full execution tracker
One of each — the full toolkit for this course is $70 on its own.
You're buying the University piece — the course, its platform, and the artifacts you produce. Bundle all three and save — see pricing below. Each column is also available à la carte: University $80, Launchpad $70, Events $280. See how we build →
Everything. Course price.
Lock in the full bundle today. Every piece ships to your account as it's built — and the price only goes up from here.
$430 value when complete
Everything, for the price of just the course.
- 12 lessons + AI Chat, transcripts, highlights, bookmarks
- Ebook + Checklists + Journal + Workbook shipping soon
- Workshop + Sprint + Challenge access shipping soon
- Certificate on completion
- Clinics included free — $20 each on their own
The price goes up as content ships — the founding price never comes back.
Not ready to commit? Attend our live workshops, sprints, and challenges for free — just show up. No signup, no credit card. If you like what you experience, the founding price locks in everything permanently.
Every piece below ships to your account as it's built — free, at your founding price:
- Problem — 12 lessons Digital$80 valueLive now
- Ebook Digital$10 valueIncluded
- Checklists Digital$15 valueIncluded
- Journal + AI Prompts Digital$20 valueIncluded
- Workbook Digital$25 valueIncluded
- Workshop Events$40 valueIncluded
- Sprint Events$80 valueIncluded
- Challenge Events$160 valueIncluded
- Total value when complete$430You pay $80
↑ as the tools ship, the price rises
↑ as the live events go up, it rises again
Full $430 value, fully builtWhat ships when?+
- Week 1: Workshop Part A (courses 1–3) + Ebook ships.
- Week 2: Workshop Part B (courses 4–6) + video lessons go live + Checklists ship.
- Week 3: Sprint recordings + Journal ships.
- Week 4: Challenge recordings + Workbook ships.
Or start bigger — the same deal at every scope:
Course
1 course + tools + events
$80Pod
All 6 Market courses
$320Pillar
All 36 Foundation courses
$960University
All 324 courses
$4,320Same deal at every scope — everything included, price goes up as content ships. See How We Build →
Prefer one piece? Single University, Launchpad, or Events access. · See How We Build →
Founding Access — Problem
Full bundle (University + Launchpad + Events) · $80 · pre-sale founding rate
[ Simplero checkout / order-form embed renders here ]
Wire this to the Simplero Founding bundle product for this course.
The second step of the Market journey
Problem is course 2 of 6 in Market. With your market chosen, this finds the real pain — the root cause people will actually pay to solve.
You are here — find the real problem.
You're not doing this alone
Every lesson has a discussion where you share your work and read how others approached the same prompt — so you see the patterns, not just your own answer.
“Post your experience, read two others, and notice the patterns.”
Per-pillar discussion forums are coming as the community grows.
Before you decide
Isn't the problem obvious if people complain about it?+
Complaints are symptoms. People complain about plenty of things they'll never pay to fix — this separates the two.
How do I tell a root cause from a symptom?+
The Symptom-to-Source Chain traces visible complaints down to the underlying cause your market will actually pay to remove.
What if people say it's a problem but don't buy?+
That's the most important finding — Willingness-to-Pay Validation tests spending behavior, not opinions.
Do I need customers already?+
No — you need a market and its symptoms. This works before you've sold a single thing.
How much time does it really take?+
Real work across several sessions — collecting symptoms, tracing causes, and testing willingness to pay. Not a quick read.
What do I actually walk away with?+
12 working artifacts — from a Severity Scoring System and Root Cause Map to a Willingness-to-Pay Validation and your Problem Pricing.
Is the problem I'm solving painful, persistent, and specific enough that people will pay to make it go away?
Stop building for symptoms. Find the root-cause problem people pay to solve.