My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Familiar-Novel Intersection Framework
A framework for positioning products at the optimal intersection between familiar (easy to understand) and novel (differentiated and interesting)
How It Works
Products that are too familiar lack differentiation and get lost in commoditization. Products that are too novel feel foreign and create adoption barriers. The sweet spot combines enough familiarity for easy understanding with enough novelty for interest and trial
Components
Map existing solutions on familiar-novel spectrum
Identify white space at intersection of familiar and novel
Design core function to be familiar and understandable
Add novel elements that create differentiation without confusion
Test that both familiarity and novelty register with target users
When to Use
When developing new products, repositioning existing products, or trying to break into established categories with differentiation
When Not to Use
In categories where either pure novelty or pure familiarity is the winning strategy, or when serving highly specialized expert audiences
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
Example
“Adult gummy vitamins (Olly) took the familiar concept of vitamins and added the novel element of gummy format plus benefit-focused branding - familiar enough to understand, novel enough to stand out.”