Solving problems matters more than checking feature boxes.
Hi y’all,
This week, I’ve got a special treat for you. I’ve invited our CEO and co-founder Andrew Garcia to share insights into how Goodshuffle approaches product development. His unique perspective explains why we sometimes build solutions differently than expected — and why that matters to your business. Hope you enjoy!
Mallory
Hey everyone,
Thanks for letting me take over this week’s newsletter to chat about all things event software. It’s something I’ve been deeply passionate about since my early DJ days.
As a product builder, I endeavor to deeply understand the challenges event business owners face. It’s why at Goodshuffle, we spend months researching the effects of the absence of a feature even before we start building.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the features folks request often mask a deeper pain they’re trying to address in their business. Understanding this distinction helps us create more meaningful solutions.
When developing new features, we hear different perspectives from our wide range of users. Consider our process like urban planning: some residents want more green spaces, others prioritize parking, while businesses need delivery access. The best solution isn’t simply adding all requested elements, but finding an approach that addresses the core needs while remaining flexible enough to evolve.
We also believe in refining features based on real-world usage, which is why we prioritize getting features into your hands earlier rather than later. If we wait for “perfection,” we further delay any immediate value a new feature can offer and we further delay valuable feedback from our users. That’s why we view each release as an ongoing conversation rather than the climax of development.
Take our Barcoding feature as an example. Rather than simply replicating traditional solutions, we challenged ourselves to understand the underlying problems: excessive equipment costs, physical inconveniences, and inefficient workflows. This approach led to innovations like mobile-first scanning, which works faster than traditional methods.
We might never have reached that conclusion without dozens of customer interviews, warehouse visits, and of course, our early access Beta program.
This approach also requires confidence and a willingness to challenge assumptions. It means sometimes asking, “Can I hear more about that?” before saying “Here’s the solution to that problem.”
That’s why we encourage y’all to jump into our new features with us. Try it out, see what works, then tell us about your experience so we can continue to make Goodshuffle Pro more valuable and effective for you. For example, based on Barcoding feedback, we’re still adding new functionalities, like different label sizes and even the ability to bypass manual scanning.
We can build better tools when we understand both what you’re asking for and why you need it. When you share not just what you need but the business problem you’re trying to solve, it helps us build solutions that truly advance your operations.
Ultimately, we share the same goal: to make your business run more efficiently as it grows and evolves. And that’s our commitment to you — to work together to build what your business truly needs, even if the path there looks a bit different than you might expect.
Until next time,
Andrew Garcia
CEO & Co-founder
Goodshuffle
