You think you understand the problem. You don't. Not until someone else describes it in their own words, with their own frustration behind it.
Your job today is 3 conversations. Not pitches. Not surveys. Conversations. Ask one question, then stop talking. Write down exact quotes — not summaries, not interpretations. Real words matter. They become your marketing later.
Find 3 people who live in your arena. Text a friend. Post in a subreddit. Jump into a Discord or Slack community. Offer 10 minutes of your time. Most people love talking about their pain.
Ask this:
"What's the hardest part about [your arena]?"
Then listen. If they say "I want to scream every time I chase invoices," write that. Don't rewrite it as "users experience payment friction."
Listen for:
- Emotion — sighs, frustration, stories
- Workarounds — cobbled-together fixes mean the pain is real
- Frequency — "every week" is a business; "once a year" is a hobby
Your goal isn't to pitch. It's to collect. 3 conversations, documented, and you already know more than 90% of founders who never leave their desk.
- Pitching your solution instead of listening.
- Summarizing instead of quoting.
- Only talking to friends who will lie to protect your feelings.
- Fear of talking to strangers. Start with friends, Twitter mutuals, or online communities where people already complain about this stuff. You don't need cold calls.
Find 3 people. Ask the question. Record exact quotes and patterns in Notion.
Notes from 3 real conversations, each with at least one direct quote about the biggest pain people feel in your arena. At least one person should confirm the problem is real and frequent.
You think you understand the problem. You don't. Not until someone else describes it in their own words, with their own frustration behind it.
Your job today is 3 conversations. Not pitches. Not surveys. Conversations. Ask one question, then stop talking. Write down exact quotes — not summaries, not interpretations. Real words matter. They become your marketing later.
Find 3 people who live in your arena. Text a friend. Post in a subreddit. Jump into a Discord or Slack community. Offer 10 minutes of your time. Most people love talking about their pain.
Ask this:
"What's the hardest part about [your arena]?"
Then listen. If they say "I want to scream every time I chase invoices," write that. Don't rewrite it as "users experience payment friction."
Listen for:
- Emotion — sighs, frustration, stories
- Workarounds — cobbled-together fixes mean the pain is real
- Frequency — "every week" is a business; "once a year" is a hobby
Your goal isn't to pitch. It's to collect. 3 conversations, documented, and you already know more than 90% of founders who never leave their desk.
- Pitching your solution instead of listening.
- Summarizing instead of quoting.
- Only talking to friends who will lie to protect your feelings.
- Fear of talking to strangers. Start with friends, Twitter mutuals, or online communities where people already complain about this stuff. You don't need cold calls.
Find 3 people. Ask the question. Record exact quotes and patterns in Notion.
Notes from 3 real conversations, each with at least one direct quote about the biggest pain people feel in your arena. At least one person should confirm the problem is real and frequent.