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Unpopular opinion: "winning products" don't exist and the concept is holding you back
Posted by •12/5/2025
I've been doing this for 14 months now. Currently at around €6k/month profit. And I think the whole "winning product" mindset is actually toxic for beginners.
Hear me out.
When I started, I spent MONTHS trying to find the perfect product. Watched every YouTube video, used every spy tool, joined Discord groups where people shared "winners." Tested maybe 15 products, all failed.
Know what finally worked? A boring product in a boring niche that I actually understood and marketed well.
The "winning product" framing makes people think:
- The product does the work
- There's some secret list of products that print money
- If it doesn't work, it's the wrong product (not my execution)
In reality, most products CAN work. The difference is:
- How well you understand the customer
- How good your offer is
- How well you present it
I've seen the same product fail for one person and make €10k/month for another. The product wasn't different. The execution was.
Anyone else feel like this "winning product" obsession is actually the problem?
Hear me out.
When I started, I spent MONTHS trying to find the perfect product. Watched every YouTube video, used every spy tool, joined Discord groups where people shared "winners." Tested maybe 15 products, all failed.
Know what finally worked? A boring product in a boring niche that I actually understood and marketed well.
The "winning product" framing makes people think:
- The product does the work
- There's some secret list of products that print money
- If it doesn't work, it's the wrong product (not my execution)
In reality, most products CAN work. The difference is:
- How well you understand the customer
- How good your offer is
- How well you present it
I've seen the same product fail for one person and make €10k/month for another. The product wasn't different. The execution was.
Anyone else feel like this "winning product" obsession is actually the problem?
4 Replies
•12/6/2025
Saving this thread. I've been in the "product hunting" loop for 2 months and this is the wake up call I needed.
Question though - when you say you picked something "boring" that you understood, can you give a hint what category? Trying to understand what "boring but works" actually looks like in practice.
Question though - when you say you picked something "boring" that you understood, can you give a hint what category? Trying to understand what "boring but works" actually looks like in practice.
•12/6/2025
Don't want to give away my exact product but I'll describe it: home office accessories. Not ergonomic chairs or standing desks - those are too competitive and expensive to ship. Smaller stuff.
I work from home so I actually USE this type of product. I know what annoys me, what I wish existed, what I've tried and hated. That insider knowledge is worth more than any spy tool.
Boring because it's not viral TikTok material. Works because people search for solutions to specific problems, find my store through Google, and buy because I actually understand what they need.
No dance videos required lol
I work from home so I actually USE this type of product. I know what annoys me, what I wish existed, what I've tried and hated. That insider knowledge is worth more than any spy tool.
Boring because it's not viral TikTok material. Works because people search for solutions to specific problems, find my store through Google, and buy because I actually understand what they need.
No dance videos required lol
•12/5/2025
Both fair points. I think my frustration is mainly with the MINDSET, not the idea that product selection matters at all.
The mindset of "I just need to find the winning product and money will flow" is what I see killing people. They test something for 3 days, it doesn't immediately print money, they assume it's a "losing product" and move on.
Meanwhile they never learn WHY it didn't work. Was it the creative? The landing page? The targeting? The price? They'll never know because they're already chasing the next "winner."
Agree that 1-2 weeks of research to find something viable is smart. But I'd say spend 1 week on product, then 4-8 weeks actually trying to make it work before you decide it's not viable.
The mindset of "I just need to find the winning product and money will flow" is what I see killing people. They test something for 3 days, it doesn't immediately print money, they assume it's a "losing product" and move on.
Meanwhile they never learn WHY it didn't work. Was it the creative? The landing page? The targeting? The price? They'll never know because they're already chasing the next "winner."
Agree that 1-2 weeks of research to find something viable is smart. But I'd say spend 1 week on product, then 4-8 weeks actually trying to make it work before you decide it's not viable.
•12/5/2025
I get what you're saying but I think you're overcorrecting a bit.
Yes, execution matters. Yes, most products CAN work. But some products are genuinely easier than others, especially for beginners.
A product that:
- Solves an obvious problem
- Has clear visual appeal
- Isn't available at every local store
- Has 3x+ markup potential
...is just EASIER to market than a product that requires education, looks boring, and competes with Amazon basics.
I don't think beginners should spend months finding the "perfect" product. But I also don't think they should pick something random and assume pure execution will save them.
Middle ground: spend 1-2 weeks finding something that meets basic criteria, then commit fully to execution. Not 3 months of research, not 3 days of "eh this looks fine."
Yes, execution matters. Yes, most products CAN work. But some products are genuinely easier than others, especially for beginners.
A product that:
- Solves an obvious problem
- Has clear visual appeal
- Isn't available at every local store
- Has 3x+ markup potential
...is just EASIER to market than a product that requires education, looks boring, and competes with Amazon basics.
I don't think beginners should spend months finding the "perfect" product. But I also don't think they should pick something random and assume pure execution will save them.
Middle ground: spend 1-2 weeks finding something that meets basic criteria, then commit fully to execution. Not 3 months of research, not 3 days of "eh this looks fine."
•12/5/2025
90% agree with this.
The nuance I'd add: some products ARE harder to sell than others. If your margins are 10% and your product costs €5, you're fighting uphill no matter how good your marketing is.
But within reasonable parameters (decent margins, real demand, not a complete commodity), yeah - execution matters way more than product selection.
The guru trap is real. They show you a product that made them money, but they don't show you the 47 things they did RIGHT in execution that made it work. Then you copy the product, do none of those things, and blame the product when it fails.
I think a better frame than "winning product" is "viable product + strong positioning + competent execution." Less sexy, doesn't fit in a YouTube thumbnail, but actually accurate.
The nuance I'd add: some products ARE harder to sell than others. If your margins are 10% and your product costs €5, you're fighting uphill no matter how good your marketing is.
But within reasonable parameters (decent margins, real demand, not a complete commodity), yeah - execution matters way more than product selection.
The guru trap is real. They show you a product that made them money, but they don't show you the 47 things they did RIGHT in execution that made it work. Then you copy the product, do none of those things, and blame the product when it fails.
I think a better frame than "winning product" is "viable product + strong positioning + competent execution." Less sexy, doesn't fit in a YouTube thumbnail, but actually accurate.