How to Build a Business Around a New Consumer Habit

It is a great feeling as an entrepreneur when you spot a market gap or feel a familiar frustration and know you’ve got the solution. Many of the most successful startups begin with a problem that refuses to go away and the belief that things should be done differently.

But having the idea is the easy part. Getting people to break old habits and try a new way of doing things is where the real challenge starts, and there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to genuinely shift behavior and shake up a market.

Expect the Critics

When I was launching Check Trusty, I was constantly told that it wouldn’t work in the Middle East. Yet, I knew it had worked elsewhere and that the time was finally right here. There will always be people who disagree because that’s the nature of building something disruptive. If everyone were on board, it wouldn’t be innovation.

There will be things that knock your confidence daily and the only way to stay focused is to remember the need. When you take a different approach to what people are used to, you have to be crystal clear about the pain point you’re solving — and never drift away from that. If you stay rooted in the real problem consumers face, you automatically build legitimacy, because you’re solving something that matters. As you start to see a positive reaction grow, it becomes much easier to stay on track and keep building.

Consumers Are Often Readier Than We Think

People naturally gravitate towards things that are simple, intuitive, and genuinely solve a real problem. When the concept makes sense, adoption follows. So, tune out the noise and stay laser-focused on communicating your value to the people you are serving. I built a technology company in the home improvement space, without being an expert in either, and in many ways that helped me create it firmly from a consumer viewpoint.

Build Trust First, Scale Second

When you’re launching something new, it can be tempting to grow as fast as possible. But in the rush to ‘move fast and break things,’ you can quickly undermine the trust you set out to create. Legitimacy comes from doing the right things consistently, even if it’s slower at the beginning. Organic growth, built on genuine value and authentic user experiences, lasts far longer than shortcuts. People will always return to a service that is trustworthy and reliable, even if it isn’t the absolute fastest. Speed has its place, but without authenticity, it becomes a gimmick.

Listen Deeply but Don’t React to Everything

Early adopters are invaluable. They give you unfiltered feedback and help you see what is and isn’t working. That said, how you listen to the feedback matters. If you react to every opinion, you will end up changing your product endlessly, creating instability and inconsistency, and causing you to drift away from your core vision. Not every early data point deserves a reaction.

Watch for patterns and then wait until you have a meaningful amount of data before you act. If something is fundamentally wrong, of course you should pivot immediately. For everything else, adapt in phases by making small intentional changes. Startups must be fluid. If you become too rigid, you get stuck. And in a world with AI and constant technological change, being stuck is a death sentence.

See Resistance as Information

Building something new is constant problem-solving, and every objection or doubt is another piece of information that can help you refine what you’re doing. You’ll get resistance from everywhere — your tech team, your marketing team, investors, consumers, even the companies you’re trying to help. It can feel very personal as a founder. The trick is not to live in that emotion.

Don’t fear resistance; actively expose yourself to it. Talk to as many people as you can — industry experts, people close to the problem, users, and partners, and take bits from each conversation. You won’t get everything right the first time. Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back, but that’s still net progress. As long as you keep your North Star clear, you can absorb the hits and keep moving. If you’ve identified a real need and genuinely believe you have a solution, then you have the foundation for something meaningful that deserves exploring. Resistance is part of the journey, not a reason to stop.

Emad Maktari is the Founder & CEO of Check Trusty