To Build Great Products, Ask Enterprise Questions

How to find great product ideas right under your nose.

When I was in journalism school, we learned about enterprise stories — ones that start with curiosity about something that’s typically close by, lead with a simple question, and reveal a story that’s never before been told.

My first enterprise story was published in the Montreal Gazette, and started with the question — “Why are there old shoes hanging in a tree in my neighbourhood?”. I started talking to people nearby and ended up unravelling a pretty cool story about the tree being a cultural icon and part of a ritual for kids graduating from a local skateboarding school.

The Facebook/Cambridge Analytical Scandal also started with an enterprise question, posed by Professor David Carroll (as depicted in the documentary, “The Great Hack”) — “What data have you collected on me as part of my voter profile?” and exposed perhaps one of the biggest ethical tech cases to date resulting in Mark Zuckerburg testifying in front of Congress and the criminal conviction of Cambridge Analytica.

An enterprise question also led to Shawn Seipler developing Clean The World, a social enterprise that saves lives through improving hygiene for children in need through recycling soap from hotels.