I’m trying to build a business network people actually have a reason to come back to. Here’s what I think LinkedIn/Reddit/YouTube are missing.
I'm building something called LATTICE, and I'm at the point where the product is almost ready for its first real group of users.
The original idea was pretty simple:
What if the professional identity/networking of LinkedIn, the actual conversations of Reddit, and the free education of YouTube existed in the same business network?
But while building it, I realized that it wasn't unique enough.
Combining three existing products just gives you another platform with profiles, posts, videos and a feed...
There has to be a reason to actually come back!
So I've been thinking about the problem carefully;
A professional network shouldn't just know who you are.
It should eventually understand:
What do you know?
What do you need?
What can you help someone with?
What are you trying to accomplish right now?
That's starting to shape what I'm building.
Someone might be:
- looking for a referral partner
- trying to hire their first employee
- looking for someone who understands commercial insurance
- trying to learn local SEO
- able to help someone with bookkeeping
- looking for feedback on a new offer
- trying to meet other owners in their industry
Instead of optimizing everything around "here's more content to scroll," I want the eventual experience to be closer to:
Here are 3 people worth meeting.
Here are 2 problems you/your business could solve.
Here's someone looking for something you provide.
Here's a resource related to a problem you're working on.
Here's a conversation worth joining.
I also think professional reputation online is backwards.
Follower count doesn't necessarily mean someone is useful.
I'd much rather know:
How many people have you helped?
What have you taught?
What questions have you answered?
What introductions have you made?
What do other businesses actually trust you to know?
A brand-new member with 0 followers but 15 years of experience should be able to give an incredible answer and have it reach the people who need it.
Another principle I'm becoming pretty convinced about:
The goal shouldn't be maximizing time on platform.
If LATTICE introduces you to someone valuable, helps you solve something, teaches you something useful, or creates an opportunity and you close the app afterward, that's a win.
I'd rather eventually measure things like:
Questions answered.
Problems solved.
Introductions made.
Relationships created.
Resources used.
Opportunities connected.
rather than "minutes watched."
The first version is much simpler than all of this.
Profiles, businesses, departments, discussions, networking, resources, events, introductions and ways for members to contribute/teach.
It's free, and the Community is intended to stay free.
I'm spending this week fixing the last launch issues, creating the initial resource library, and putting together the first group rather than opening it completely empty.
If anyone wants to ride along from the beginning, I'm putting together the founding waitlist.
But I'm actually more interested in the discussion:
What would a business network have to do for you to actually return to it every week?
Not "what feature sounds cool?"
What would make it genuinely useful enough that you'd remember it exists?
I'm going to use the answers as I build.