\n Entrepreneur <\/p>\n
In an era of throwaway culture, products built to fail are costing us trust, money and something often overlooked \u2013 mental health.<\/p>\n
As The Wall Street Journal<\/i> recently discussed, consumers are addicted to cheap goods that they don’t need and are engineered to fail. With every purchase of another low-quality disposable product, there’s a growing cognitive dissonance: We know our choices are contributing to something harmful \u2014 to ourselves, our finances and our environment \u2014 but we can’t seem to help ourselves.<\/p>\n
This ongoing struggle is taking a toll. A 2023 study published by Frontiers in Psychology<\/i> found that materialism is consistently associated with mental health problems like depression and anxiety and contributes to an overall decline in well-being. In other words, buying more is not making us feel better \u2013 it’s making us feel worse.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon contributes to another worrying trend \u2014 our eroding trust in institutions, and big businesses in particular. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in U.S. businesses runs at just 47%, well below the global average of 56% and lags behind countries like China (77%) and India (75%).<\/p>\n
Related: Stop Blindly Following ‘the Customer Is Always Right’<\/b><\/p>\n
We don’t just feel annoyed by broken items; we feel betrayed. Low-quality, unreliable products lead to a deeper emotional turmoil in which we begin to question the integrity of the marketplace, of brands, and even our judgment.<\/p>\n
In my last article, I argued that as entrepreneurs, we have a responsibility and the power to reverse the destructive advertising and business trends that are fueling society’s need for products they don’t need or cannot afford. But fixing how<\/i> we sell is only part of the solution. We also need to focus on what<\/i> we sell.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurs do not have to sacrifice their businesses’ growth and reputation to improve the situation. By focusing on creating high-quality, durable products, we can build customer loyalty and grow responsibly. Build less and build better.<\/p>\n
Many brands have proven it’s possible to prioritize product quality by offering lifetime warranties, repair programs or simply building products that last. As a result, they are forging trust and long-term loyalty that keeps customers coming back. Here are a few that stand out.<\/p>\n
More and more people want to buy from brands that are honest, sustainable and sell products that are built to last. Entrepreneurs just need to give them the opportunity to make the responsible choice.<\/p>\n
Related: 31 Low-Budget Marketing Ideas for Your Business<\/b><\/p>\n Conversely, if you build a product that is designed to fail earlier than it should, at least be transparent about it. While I certainly don’t endorse planned obsolescence for any product, your customers deserve to know that the product may not last as long as others, but it is (hopefully) priced accordingly.<\/p>\n For too long, entrepreneurs have been conditioned to sell as much as possible at the highest price possible. This has led to most consumers conflating volume with value.<\/p>\n However, there is an opportunity to shift toward a different paradigm anchored in selling fewer items in order to generate higher returns in terms of brand value and customer retention.<\/p>\n I’m calling on my fellow entrepreneurs to embrace this opportunity and put an end to the constant strain on our collective mental health that’s been created by the phenomenon of planned obsolescence.<\/p>\n After all, real innovation isn’t about making and selling more and more products. It’s about making better<\/i> products that don’t need to be replaced. Innovation is about giving people real value in exchange for their hard-earned money, and not just more stuff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThree shifts for entrepreneurs who want to build better<\/h2>\n
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It’s time to redefine success<\/h2>\n