Business vs. Customer Problems

Always distinguish between business problems and customer problems before solving

Christopher Miller
Relentless curiosity, radical accountability, and HubSpot's winning growth formula

Business vs. Customer Problems

"I don't know that we even talk about problems without a qualifier. Are we talking about a business problem? Are we talking about a customer problem? Are we talking about an efficiency problem? Describe the nature of the problem and parse it out." - Christopher Miller

What It Is

This framework forces specificity in problem definition by requiring teams to explicitly categorize problems before attempting to solve them. The key insight: business problems and customer problems are related but distinct, and conflating them leads to customer-hostile solutions.

HubSpot's growth team uses this framework to avoid the trap of solving business problems in ways that hurt customers. By creating "daylight" between business and customer problems conceptually, they can trace business problems back to their customer-problem roots.

How It Works

Problem Categories

  1. Customer Problems: Pain points or unmet needs customers experience
  2. Business Problems: Issues affecting company metrics or operations
  3. Efficiency Problems: Process or resource utilization issues

The Key Insight

Business problems are usually downstream effects of unsolved customer problems. If you solve the business problem directly without understanding the customer problem causing it, you risk customer-hostile solutions.

Example:

  • Business problem: Low conversion rate
  • Customer problem: Confusion about pricing/value
  • Bad solution: More aggressive sales tactics (solves business problem, ignores customer problem)
  • Good solution: Clearer value communication (solves customer problem, business problem resolves)

The Diagnostic Chain

Business Problem → "Why hasn't this solved itself?"
                 → Customer Problem causing it
                 → Solution that addresses customer need
                 → Business problem resolves as side effect

How to Apply It

In Documentation

  1. Require explicit problem categorization - Every feature/experiment doc must label the problem type
  2. Trace to customer problems - Business problems must link to underlying customer problems
  3. Call out assumptions - What do we assume about causation between business and customer problems?

In Discussions

  1. Ask "what type of problem?" - When problems are raised, immediately categorize
  2. Ask "why" repeatedly - Trace business problems to customer roots
  3. Ask "what, what, what" - Explore blast radius of proposed solutions
  4. Red-flag customer-hostile solutions - Solutions that help business but hurt customers

The Decision Test

Before shipping anything, ask:

  • Does this solve a customer problem, a business problem, or both?
  • If only a business problem, what customer problem is causing it?
  • Could this solution hurt customers while helping the business?
  • What's the time horizon? (Short-term business gains often create long-term customer problems)

When to Use It

Apply this framework when:

  • Writing PRDs or experiment briefs: Require explicit problem categorization
  • Evaluating growth experiments: Especially anything affecting customer experience
  • Making trade-off decisions: When business metrics conflict with customer experience
  • Reviewing product decisions: Force clarity on who benefits and how
  • Debating solutions: Ensure you're solving the right problem

Source

  • Guest: Christopher Miller
  • Episode: "Relentless curiosity, radical accountability, and HubSpot's winning growth formula"
  • Key Discussion: (00:38:42) - Discussion of structuring customer centricity
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

Related Frameworks

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