🍊 Vitamin vs 💊 Painkiller

Build What Matters – Vitamins are Usually Tastier than Painkillers.

In 2017, I launched Hi5, a platform designed to recognize employees for their achievements. It was built around the idea that people thrive on appreciation, and companies would benefit from a tool that made it easy to acknowledge good work. Hi5 was, at its core, a "vitamin" – something that made workplaces feel better but didn’t necessarily solve an urgent pain.

We experienced decent traction in the early days. People liked Hi5, but it wasn't something that kept them up at night. There wasn’t a burning need to recognize peers, and while some companies embraced it, many didn’t feel it was critical to their daily operations. I soon realized that while we were adding value, it wasn’t the type of value companies would prioritize in their budgets.

That was the turning point. We pivoted Hi5 from a simple recognition platform into a peer review platform. This shifted Hi5 into "painkiller" territory – addressing the urgent, pressing need for performance feedback and peer accountability in teams. Companies had a clear and immediate pain point: how to measure and improve employee performance. By solving this, Hi5 became indispensable for many of our clients.

The Vitamin vs. Painkiller Debate

When you launch a startup, you’ll often hear the terms vitamin and painkiller thrown around. These are metaphors to describe whether your product is a nice-to-have (vitamin) or a must-have (painkiller).

• Vitamins enhance existing experiences. Think of them as something that makes life or work better, but if it didn’t exist, the world would continue to turn.

• Painkillers solve a very real, often painful problem. These are the products that people feel they can’t live without because they address an immediate, urgent need.

Pros and Cons of Both Approaches

Both the vitamin and painkiller paths have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a snippet from my course “How to launch your first Startup" taking deeper look into each:

There Is No Right or Wrong

The truth is, there’s no right or wrong answer to whether your startup should be a vitamin or a painkiller. Both approaches can work, and there are countless examples of successful startups in each category. The key is understanding where you sit on this spectrum and adjusting your strategy accordingly.

When I became the lead product manager for TAIWA, an AI coaching platform, our primary focus was ensuring it was seen as a painkiller, not a vitamin. We wanted TAIWA to solve pressing issues for HR teams by offering immediate, actionable coaching and development support for employees. We positioned it as an essential tool for companies looking to address productivity and growth challenges. This shift made a significant difference in the way companies adopted the platform.

• If you're a vitamin, your focus should be on building a strong brand and creating loyalty through positive experiences. Highlight how your solution makes life better, even if it’s not absolutely essential.

• If you're a painkiller, you’ll need to emphasize how quickly you can resolve pressing problems. Your sales pitch will focus on urgency, speed, and efficiency in addressing the customer’s pain points.

If you're wondering where your startup falls on this spectrum, take a step back and analyze the problem you're solving. Is it something people can live without for a while, or does it address a pressing issue? Answering this will help you adjust your strategy and messaging to ensure your startup resonates with your target audience.

For founders just starting their journey, understanding whether you're building a vitamin or painkiller can be crucial for early-stage growth. And if you’re still figuring out your path, you can check out my Stay Scrappy course here, where I cover everything from validating your idea to launching and scaling your startup.

Questions to Help Determine Your Category

Not sure where your startup sits? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What problem are you solving, and how pressing is it? If it’s a nice-to-have improvement, you might be a vitamin. If it’s an immediate, urgent issue, you’re likely a painkiller.

2. How quickly do people need your solution? Painkillers solve problems that need fixing today. If customers can wait a few months or more, you may be a vitamin.

3. Do your customers have existing solutions or workarounds? If the problem already has alternatives, you might be a vitamin. If you’re offering the only viable solution, you're probably a painkiller.

4. Are your benefits easily quantifiable? Painkillers often have measurable outcomes (e.g., saved time, increased revenue). Vitamins tend to offer qualitative improvements (e.g., better mood, convenience).

5. Would people reallocate their budget to pay for your product? If customers are willing to carve out budget for your solution, you’re a painkiller. If not, you might need to position yourself as a vitamin that can demonstrate long-term value.

Conclusion

When I started Hi5, I learned first-hand how important it is to understand whether you’re building a vitamin or a painkiller. Each approach has its pros and cons, and the most important takeaway is to be honest with yourself about what you’re offering. Once you know where you sit on the spectrum, you can craft a strategy that matches your product’s nature and customer needs.

Whether you're a vitamin or a painkiller, remember that success is possible either way – it’s all about positioning and execution. So, which one is your startup?

And if you want guidance on launching your own startup, you can dive deeper into this journey by joining my Stay Scrappy course here. Let's get scrappy and build something great!