Build and sell your own product

Stage 1 · Lesson 2 of 7

Pick one customer you can reach

Find a problem worth solving

A product for "everyone" or "small businesses" leaves you with nobody to interview and nothing specific to say. Pick one : a group precise enough that you could go and find them. Describe their role, their situation and where they spend time online.

For example: solo physiotherapists who book patients over WhatsApp, or developers who build apps for clients. A narrow group makes every later step easier. You know whom to call, which words to use on your and which community to launch in. You can widen later, once a first group pays.

Common trapchoosing a group you cannot actually reach, such as hospital buying teams when you know no one in healthcare. Your testing then stalls before it starts.

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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