What sets the best online businesses apart?

Empathy.

What is empathy?

It’s not just knowing your audience’s problems—it’s feeling them.

It’s saying:

I see you. I hear you. I feel you. I get you.

Empathy is a competitive advantage because most businesses don’t have it. Competitors chase revenue and algorithms. Few take the time to listen.

You can’t fake empathy. You earn it by understanding your audience deeply—and that starts with Market Research:

1. Mine for Insights

Begin with what you already have:

Call recordings and transcripts
Comments on content
Client messages
Email replies
Surveys

Look for two things:

Hell (their struggles)

What frustrates them?
What have they tried that didn’t work?
How is it affecting their life?

Heaven (their desires)

External: Tangible results (e.g., make $10k/month)
Internal: How they want to feel (safe, free, admired)

The externals get attention. The internals make your message magnetic.

2. Message Your Market

Talk to four groups:

Fans: Buy and engage with everything.
Customers: Already trust you.
Followers: Interested but not yet customers.
Strangers: Engaging with competitors.

Keep outreach simple: ask, “What are you struggling with right now?” Follow up with more questions to go deeper.

If you want data fast: send 20 DMs a day for 20 days. The insights will be worth it.

3. Meet for Depth

Real conversation reveals the gold.
Run at least 10 interviews with people who match the profile for the Hero You Serve,

Calls let you:

Ask follow-up questions
Uncover the real emotions behind the words
Capture their exact language

Example: If someone says:
“I wish building a business didn’t take 12-hour days—I only have 2 hours after work.”
You now know their Hell (they believe business building is exhausting and time-consuming) and their Heaven (a business that fits into their limited time).
That’s a ready-made headline:
How to Build a Profitable Business in Just 2 Hours a Day

The rule: Save their exact words. Your copy becomes more persuasive when it mirrors their language. Empathy builds trust. Trust builds business.

"If you don't understand people, you don't understand business." - Simon Sinek