Polar Sharking For Business Ideas

This one is for all the entrepreneurs, inventors, and software developers out there.

If you build a business around a polar trend or incorporate it into your business, your marketing could be free thanks to seed merit.

The concept is simple:

• Find the polar trend
• Incorporate it (very rarely directly)
• Reap benefits

Example 1: 2010 → Rise of Online Privacy Concerns → Opportunity for VPNs

Imagine it’s 2010.

People online are suddenly worried about one thing: their internet privacy.

You start seeing early polar-trend signals everywhere:

• People on Reddit asking “How do I hide my browsing history from my ISP?”
• Tech bloggers complaining about websites tracking them
• YouTube creators mentioning “anonymous browsing”
• Forums discussing government surveillance
• Twitter threads about “privacy tools” getting more traction than usual

None of this means the world is obsessed yet — but there is movement and energy.
This is what a polar trend looks like: a pre-mainstream wave ready to explode.

Step 1: Spot the Early Complaints (Seed Merit)

In 2010, almost no one outside small tech circles talked about privacy — but early noise was there.

Seed merit examples:

• Sharp rise in “how to stay anonymous online” searches
• Niche privacy-focused forums growing
• Bloggers linking to “proxy tools”
• Jokes about ISPs watching people
• Fear around data-retention laws
• First mainstream news stories about data tracking

All these tiny signals point to one conclusion:
Something is about to happen here.

Step 2: Connect the Trend to a Solution

People are scared about privacy.
So you ask: What solves that fear?

VPNs.

In 2010:

• Very few normal people used VPNs
• Most didn’t know they existed
• Primarily corporate tools
• Interfaces were clunky
• Marketing was nonexistent

The market was wide open.
You didn’t invent VPNs or privacy — you simply connected the trend to the solution first.
That’s polar-sharking.

Step 3: Act Before the Trend Hits the Mainstream

If you acted early, you could:

• Publish “Why you need a VPN” content
• Write comparison guides
• Become a VPN affiliate
• Create your own simple VPN
• Target privacy-worried communities
• Buy high-value domains
• Make explainer videos

Once the trend hit mainstream, competition became brutal:

• Expensive ads
• Big brands taking over search
• Affiliate wars
• Saturated content everywhere

But early movers became the leaders:
NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and early affiliates dominated because they built before the wave.

Step 4: Why This Example Shows Polar Trend Leverage

You don’t need to invent technology.
You just need to:

• Spot the trend early
• Identify the underlying problem
• Match it to a high-leverage solution
• Act before the world wakes up

By the time everyone arrives, the window is closed.

Example 2: 2013 → “Everyone Needs Design, But No One Is a Designer” → Canva

In 2013, something was happening:

• Facebook pages exploding
• Instagram growing fast
• YouTube thumbnails mattering more
• Bloggers wanting nicer graphics
• Small businesses needing professional visuals

But everyone kept saying the same thing:
“I’m not a designer… and Photoshop is impossible.”

This intersection — rising demand for visuals + no design skills — was the polar trend.

1. Spot the Polar Trend

Signs were everywhere:

• Searches for “Facebook cover photo dimensions”
• YouTube videos like “make a thumbnail without Photoshop”
• Forum posts seeking cheap designers
• Bloggers complaining about ugly headers
• Cringe MS Paint graphics
• Designers charging $20–$50 for simple posts

These are strong seed-merit signals:

• The pain is real
• The pain is everywhere
• It’s tied to a rapidly growing platform (social media)

You don’t need a full report. You can feel the trend forming.

2. Connect the Trend to the Solution

Ask: What simple tool solves this at scale?

In 2013, options were:

• Photoshop/Illustrator → too complex
• Hiring designers → slow and expensive
• Banner makers → ugly & clunky
• Doing nothing → ugly brand presence

So you think:
What if normal people could drag-and-drop good designs in their browser?

That was Canva.
They didn’t invent design — they made design accessible.

This is classic polar-sharking.

3. Act Before the Trend Explodes

If you acted in 2012–2014, you could:

Product

• Build a simple web editor
• Pre-make templates for all social formats
• Offer a free tier
• Add premium assets

Distribution

• Blog posts (“Design a Facebook cover in 5 minutes”)
• Influencer partnerships
• Social-share buttons
• SEO like “YouTube thumbnail maker”
• Free access for teachers/students

You’re not creating a new behavior —
you’re lubricating an existing one.

Early movers win:

• Millions of users
• Template libraries
• Brand trust
• Network effects

Example 3: 2014 → Fitness Influencers → Meal Prep Containers

The Polar Trend

Fitness influencers began posting:

• Meal prep routines
• Perfectly portioned food
• “What I eat in a day” videos
• Sunday prep habits

Signals:

• Influencers growing fast
• People copying their habits
• Comments: “Where do I buy those containers?”
• Hashtags rising
• Portion control discussions on Reddit

The Solution

👉 Meal prep containers (portion-sized, stackable, leak-proof)

At the time:

• No major brands
• Stores didn’t stock good ones
• Amazon listings were weak
• Poor marketing

The Move

Early movers could:

• Launch an Amazon brand
• Run fitness-targeted ads
• Collaborate with rising influencers
• Build a Shopify store
• Make content like “meal prep hacks”

What Happened

By 2017–2018:

• Meal prep containers exploded as a category
• Influencer adoption skyrocketed
• Big brands entered
• Market saturated

Early movers made fortunes.

Example 4: 2016 → K-Beauty “Glass Skin” → Hyaluronic Acid Serums

The Polar Trend

K-beauty spread through:

• Tutorials
• Influencer routines
• Instagram “glass skin” photos
• Reddit skincare communities

Signals:

• People asking “How do I get glass skin?”
• Hydration-based routines gaining popularity
• More searches for “dewy skin”
• Western brands copying K-beauty

The Solution

👉 Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Serum

At the time:

• Few pure HA serums
• Poor marketing
• Expensive options
• Low awareness

The Move

Early movers could:

• Launch a basic HA serum
• Use “glass skin” branding
• Partner with YouTubers
• Run before/after hydration ads
• Create SEO content

What Happened

By 2018–2019:

• HA serums exploded
• The Ordinary dominated
• Every brand copied the trend
• It became a skincare staple

Early makers won big.

Example 5: Sea Buckthorn Oil for Dry Eyes (Reddit-Only Phase)

The Situation

Thousands suffer from chronic dry eyes. Most solutions barely work.

Where the Polar Trend Shows Up

On Reddit (especially r/Dryeyes), people start sharing:

“Sea buckthorn oil fixed my dry eyes.”

Signals:

• Multiple testimonials
• Protocols with brands/dosages
• Lots of “I’m trying this too” replies

But Nowhere Else

• Pharmacies not promoting it
• Doctors rarely mentioning it
• YouTube/blogs barely discussing it
• Sea buckthorn better known for skincare

This is the perfect niche-only polar trend.

The Move

If you acted early:

• Create explainer content
• Launch a micro-brand for dry-eye sea buckthorn
• Run Reddit/search ads
• Capture SEO early

You’d end up owning:

• The search rankings
• The authority
• The niche
• The testimonials

This is the purest form of polar-sharking:
Reddit is loud, but the world is silent.

The Pattern

Notice something?

The biggest winners don’t always target the trend directly.
They often build around it.

Polar-sharking is about:

• Spotting early signals
• Understanding the underlying pain
• Mapping a simple solution
• Acting while the world sleeps

When the crowd finally notices, you’re already miles ahead.