Article · 8 min read

When "Scratch Your Own Itch" Is Dangerous Advice for Entrepreneurs

N. Taylor Thompson · Harvard Business Review Freemium Intermediate

This is the direct counterargument to our short answer, and reading it will sharpen your thinking either way. It walks through why founders systematically overestimate how many people share their exact taste and budget, and gives you concrete questions to stress test whether your own itch generalizes.

• Founders often assume their personal preferences represent a large market when they do not.
• Ask how your circumstances (income, habits, access) differ from the average person with the same problem.
• Cheap, fast market sizing checks can catch a false generalization before you build.