Today, I want to expand on something I briefly mentioned yesterday:
Not every problem you’ve solved needs, or should, become an entire business.
And that’s great!
Because understanding the "types of problems" I’ll explain below is what allows you to build a complete, profitable email-based business without wasting time forcing small ideas into bigger roles than they deserve.
Let’s break down the three types of solved problems and how each fits into an email-based business like mine:
Type #1: The Business Foundation Problem
These are the big, foundational problems that can support an entire email-based business.
Business Foundation Problems often have these characteristics (they tick a significant amount of these boxes):
- They literally keep people up at night (the "midnight problem" test)
- They impact fundamental areas of life: money, health, relationships, identity
- They affect a significant number of people
- They’re difficult to solve (require time, consistent effort, behavior change)
- They create meaningful, demonstrable transformations
Please note: Like I mentioned before, the "midnight problem" test is NOT perfect. "Hobby-type" businesses like guitar instruction for example can still apply! For hobby businesses (where you’re starting an email-based business) you want to focus on markets that spend lots of money on their hobby – and you likely want to have some competition to show you there are real, paying, customers.
CopyHour evolved into a foundational problem business when it expanded beyond simple accountability.
It now solves the bigger problem of "how to write sales copy that actually makes money" – which directly impacts someone’s income (which is definitely something that keeps people up at night).
Other examples of Business Foundation Problems:
- How to lose significant weight and keep it off
- How to find a life partner when dating apps aren’t working
- How to build a profitable business without working 80 hours a week
When you’ve solved one of these problems, you potentially have the foundation for an entire business.
But you don’t have to stop there with your ideas – and you shouldn’t.
Type #2: The Course/Product Problem
These are more specific problems that fit within your Business Foundation.
Course/Product Problems are solutions that directly help people solve parts of their Type #1 problem (the one keeping them up at night).
For example, if your Business Foundation is helping people make money through copywriting (like CopyHour), Course Problems might include:
- How to write email sequences that sell
- How to create sales pages that sell
- How to write Instagram ads that get clicked and go viral
These aren’t entirely separate from your Business Foundation – they’re components that help people solve the bigger problem.
The right scale for a Course Problem is:
- Specific enough to deliver demonstrable/real results
- Broad enough to justify its own course
- Something you can teach thoroughly within a structured format (like 30 days for Email Delivered Courses)
- Valuable enough that people can connect it to their "midnight problem" and pay for it
I’ve turned several of these mid-sized solved problems into courses within my business.
Each one helps solve a specific aspect of the bigger "midnight problem" my business addresses.
Type #3: The Tutorial/Content Problem
These are even smaller solved problems that make perfect free content.
Tutorial Problems are the micro-solutions of your Course Problems.
They’re:
- Highly specific solutions to very targeted problems
- Quick wins that build trust and demonstrate expertise
- Valuable but not comprehensive enough to be a stand-alone product someone would pay for
- Perfect for email tutorials, blog posts, or social media content
In my business, I’ve created tutorials on topics like:
- How to become an email subject line master
- How to run a 30-second survey
- Why recurring revenue is a trap
These tutorials solve real problems that aren’t quite big enough to be standalone courses.
In the beginning it will be super difficult to understand and know for sure which of your ideas (solved problems) will fit into which type (a Business Foundation, a Course, or a Tutorial).
But eventually, and with enough failure, it becomes almost like second nature.
Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to take these categorized solved problems and actually turn them into real business assets – with a practical action plan you can start implementing immediately.
Talk tomorrow!
— Derek
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