u/Economy_Phrase123

There's a common stereotype that extroverts thrive on small talk while introverts prefer deep, meaningful conversations. The more I observe people, though, the less I agree.

Deep thinkers seem to be a minority in general, regardless of personality type. Plenty of introverts aren't quiet because they're saving themselves for profound, deep conversation - they're just reserved, and when they do open up, the conversation can often be just as surface-level as anyone else's.

So it seems to me like introversion is all about how much social energy you have, while depth of thought is a completely separate trait.

Has anyone else noticed this, or am I completely wrong?

Thank you for all the replies on my last post about profit - it’s all very helpful.

The last thing I'm trying to understand is the client side before I commit. For those running small residential practices (extensions, loft conversions, domestic calcs):

• How hard is it realistically to build a steady client base (despite having a few clients to start with)?
• Roughly how many projects a month can a small team (me & ~2 grads) expect once things are ticking over, and how long did it take you to get there?

Thanks!

[EDIT: I am in the UK]

I'm a structural engineer; currently considering starting my own business. The plan is to have a team of roughly 3 grads - and focus on residential work: mainly extensions and loft conversions. I'll provide structural design and calculations, serving clients across the UK.

I have some clients already, but before I take the leap, I'd love to first hear from anyone who's done something similar. What kind of actual net profit figures could I realistically expect a year?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who's built something like this.

im in high school, trying to figure out if there's a real market for a b2b software tool before i build it. the issue is i've never worked at a company in my life - and neither have my parents, they were always self employed - so i have no inside view of how businesses actually run day to day.

the one bit of "data" i have is my parents' workflow. i've watched them work my whole life so i know pretty well what they'd want. but that's basically a sample size of one, and i imagine real companies run completely differently, so i don't know if their problem is anyone else's problem or just a one-off.

so before i waste the summer, i want to do this properly:

• how do you actually research a market/industry you've never been inside? where do you even start?
• how do you go from a sample of one (my dad lmao) to knowing whether it's a real market?
• whats the right way to run discovery interviews with people in an industry - how many, what do you ask, and how do you avoid them just being polite and saying "yeah sounds useful"?
• any go-to sources for sizing a niche b2b market (how many potential customers, what they already pay, what tools they use)?

Thanks :)

im in high school, trying to figure out if there's a real market for a b2b software tool before i build it. the issue is i've never worked at a company in my life - and neither have my parents, they were always self employed - so i have no inside view of how businesses actually run day to day.

the one bit of "data" i have is my parents' workflow. i've watched them work my whole life so i know pretty well what they'd want. but that's basically a sample size of one, and i imagine real companies run completely differently, so i don't know if their problem is anyone else's problem or just a one-off.

so before i waste the summer, i want to do this properly:

• how do you actually research a market/industry you've never been inside? where do you even start?
• how do you go from a sample of one (my dad lmao) to knowing whether it's a real market?
• whats the right way to run discovery interviews with people in an industry - how many, what do you ask, and how do you avoid them just being polite and saying "yeah sounds useful"?
• any go-to sources for sizing a niche b2b market (how many potential customers, what they already pay, what tools they use)?

Thanks :)

im currently trying to figure out if there's a real market for a b2b software tool before i build it. the issue is im still in high school, and have never worked at a company in my life - and neither have my parents, they were always self employed - so i have no inside view of how businesses actually run day to day.

the one bit of "data" i have is my parents' workflow. i've watched them work my whole life so i know pretty well what they'd want. but that's basically a sample size of one, and i imagine real companies run completely differently, so i don't know if their problem is anyone else's problem or just a one-off for their niche workflow.

so before i waste the summer, i want to do this properly:

• how do you actually research a market/industry you've never been inside? where do you even start? Is it possible?
• how do you go from a sample of one (a family member) to knowing whether it's a real market?
• whats the right way to run discovery interviews with people in an industry - how many, what do you ask, and will anyone really reply?
• any go-to sources for sizing a niche b2b market (how many potential customers, what they already pay, what tools they use, their workflows etc)?

Thanks!