[diego]

One data point is not generalizable. I was very successful building enterprise products, and I never figured out how to build anything for the masses.

I disagree strongly with your conclusion. If anything, save yourself some agony by building something for a market that you know well, and are interested in.

[chc]

This is what I hear from everyone besides Ed that I've ever heard on the subject: It's easier to make money with a product that appeals to a few rich people than with one that depends on large numbers of average people buying in.

[nostrademons]

Usually what I've seen is that successful products are often ones that let average people become richer. ViaWeb, DropBox, AirBnB, AdSense, AdWords, EBay, Etsy, Kickstarter, Google Apps - these are all B2B2C products that let ordinary people make some small amount of money doing things that are quite within their grasp.

[Evbn]

Goes all the way back to Levi's selling supplies to gold rushed.

[majani]

It's easier, but what I've noticed with many companies that follow that model is that a handful of clients(maybe even just one) end up controlling most of the revenue. That sort of buyer power is not good for any company's long-term prospects.