Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about markets. More specifically: which ones are the right fit — and which ones aren't.

Over the past few months, I explored healthcare pretty deeply. Talking to providers, studying hospital systems, mapping out ideas. But after a lot of digging (and a lot of caffeine), I’m pivoting away from it. It’s not that healthcare isn’t full of opportunity — it absolutely is. It’s just that once I really understood the landscape, I realized it doesn’t fit my strengths, my way of working, or even my appetite for how I want to build.

And that's okay.

I’m still fiddling with a few leftover ideas, but I’m also deliberately putting a lot of healthcare threads to rest. Taking a little time to reflect, recalibrate, and pick a better-fitting path forward.

Why Healthcare Wasn't the Right Fit

One thing that helped me reframe this decision:

Picking a market is a lot like picking which board game you want to play.

Each market has its own rules, its own winning strategies, and its own types of players who naturally thrive there. And just like some people are better at chess than Monopoly (or vice versa), you’re going to be much more successful — and have a lot more fun — if you pick a market that matches your strengths.

Healthcare, as a "game," is defined by a few big traits:

• Top-heavy and enterprise-driven: Power is concentrated among a few hospitals, pharma, payers.
• Multiple stakeholders: The people with the data (hospitals/providers) aren't the ones paying (employers/payers) and might not even be your end users (patients/providers).
• Relationship-driven sales: Progress is built over years, not weeks.
• Tech is not the Challenge: It’s not a lack of solving tough technology problems. It's a challenge of aligning incentives across very different players.

You can actually see it in the types of companies that succeed — it's the ones who are amazing at relationship-building and political navigation, not just tech innovation.

A Look in the Mirror

When I stepped back, it became clear:

My strengths:

• Product-focused: I love talking directly to end users and building for them.
• Technologically strong: I can design and build best-in-class tools quickly and independently.
• Fast mover: I prefer short feedback loops, not multi-year sales cycles.
• Marketing and food background: I understand brand, consumer psychology, and growth.

Long, slow, relationship-heavy sales? Spending months to even get a shot at a pilot?

That’s just not how I’m wired to win.

What I’m Looking for Next

So now, I’m reorienting toward markets that align better with the way I like to build.

Things I’m prioritizing:

• SMBs as customers: Short sales cycles. I can talk directly to decision-makers.
• Top-line growth focus: Help businesses grow revenue, not just cut costs.
• Large, growing TAM: Big enough to scale, with room to expand.
• Essential spending: Industries tied to core lifestyle needs, not easily disrupted by global events.
• Data advantage: Build or collect proprietary data as a long-term moat.

I’m picking my next "game" more carefully — looking for a place where my strengths are multipliers, not friction points.

Takeaway

Picking a market isn't just about chasing opportunity. It’s about picking a place where the rules, resources, and strategies align with how you naturally work best.

The wrong market makes you feel like you’re playing an uphill battle

The right market feels like you’re playing the kind of game you were always meant to play.

That’s the goal moving forward.