Is it possible to success without deep domain expertise?

Hi, I’m 19 and trying to figure out what direction to take.

I’ve been learning about saas and building small projects for a few months.

Right now I’m stuck between two approaches:

1. Get good at something first (something i am interested enough not to quit too soon)
2. Don’t focus on getting domain expertise yet, just look for problems people complain about and build simple MVPs

I’ve read arguments for both. Going deep into a field sounds more sustainable, but I don’t really know what field I would even choose or get interested in long-term, i dont have passion for anything. The only thing that slightly interests me is privacy.

So should I focus on going deep into one area, or just build based on problems I find? If going deep is better, how do you actually find a field that you’re interested enough in to stick with it? i grew up with computers, but never tried to get a valuable skill. The things i have done were reselling used laptops and gta v scripts when i was 15.

Would appreciate honest advice.

I think deep expertise becomes more important later, but in the beginning, execution and consistency matter a lot more than people think. Many successful businesses were started by people who weren’t top experts in the field. They simply learned fast, solved problems, adapted quickly, and kept improving over time.

At some point, real domain understanding becomes the difference between building something temporary and building something sustainable. You don’t always need to start as an expert, but you’ll probably need to become one gradually if you want long-term success.

Take Action said:

I think deep expertise becomes more important later, but in the beginning, execution and consistency matter a lot more than people think. Many successful businesses were started by people who weren’t top experts in the field. They simply learned fast, solved problems, adapted quickly, and kept improving over time.

At some point, real domain understanding becomes the difference between building something temporary and building something sustainable. You don’t always need to start as an expert, but you’ll probably need to become one gradually if you want long-term success.

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But I assume they looked for problems in fields they were interested in or at least a bit familiar right? Right now im kinda looking for problems in fields that i either have no familiarity or/and which dont interest me, I want to find something that interests me, then look for problems there. Do you think is this the right or wrong approach? For example, im experienced in the field reselling (marketplace tools etc), but the field doesnt interest me. Do you think passion for the problem is important?

To me it seems like they either had the problem themselves and made a solution for it or they were deep in a field and noticed gaps