Build and sell your own product

Stage 1 · Lesson 4 of 7

Where pain shows up in public

Find a problem worth solving

Before you interview anyone, look for public evidence that the problem is real. We call these . Search the places your customers talk: forums, , servers, Facebook groups and Q&A sites.

Read the one- and two-star reviews of existing tools. Notice questions that come up again and again. Look for job posts that pay people to do boring manual work that software could do.

Look for people paying for clumsy alternatives. Copy the exact phrases people use into a notes file. Later they become your interview questions and your copy.

Common traptreating one viral post or one excited friend as a signal. You want many separate, recent complaints from people who match your .

A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock

Resources for this stage

Start with

  • CourseFree
    Startup School

    Y Combinator · Beginner

    Free lessons on how good ideas come from real problems; watch the ideas and talking to users sections first

Keep handy

  • Google Trends

    Check whether interest in your problem is growing, seasonal or fading, and where searchers are

  • Indie Hackers

    Search your problem area to see what others built, charged and learned, including failures

Also worth your time

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