Build What People Need: The Ultimate Customer Discovery Playbook

In the startup world, success doesn’t begin with code — it begins with understanding. Too many founders fall in love with their solution before truly understanding the problem. That’s why customer discovery isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. It lays the groundwork for product-market fit, sustainable growth, and authentic traction.

I will do my best to distill what I learned in my career in this blog. It’s not based on theory. It comes from real, brutal lessons I had to learn the hard way — Awkward interviews. Cold rejections. Wasted months chasing what I thought people wanted.

If you’re tired of building in the dark, this can save you years and a ton of money. Because customer discovery isn’t just the first step. It’s the line between building something people like... and something people need, that they would want.

Stick with me till the end — I’ll walk you through my exact playbook. And I’ll show you how I used it to validate Openfor.co — and how that journey grew into a platform, a startup accelerator, and even a VC through partnerships, so we can implement our learnings in this blog.

📺 Watch the full video: 

What’s Inside?

This is The Customer Discovery Playbook. 6 short, practical chapters. No fluff. No overthinking. Just what works. If you're just starting — or feeling stuck — this is for you.

Let’s dive in by having a quick look at these 6 chapters: 

Chapter 1: Stop Guessing — Start Discovering

We kick things off by breaking the giant myth that a good idea is enough… I explain why customer discovery matters more than your pitch deck — and why getting outside your bubble is the most important step you'll take.

Chapter 2: Who Should You Talk To First?

You can’t talk to everyone. This chapter shows you how to narrow down your audience using a simple prioritization framework, so you can stop guessing and start learning fast.

Chapter 3: Where to Find the Right People

You’ll learn how to get people to talk to you, without being spammy or weird. Modern tactics. Real-world examples. No outdated hacks.

Chapter 4: What to Ask (and What Not To)

You’ll get a step-by-step conversation guide — so your interviews don’t turn into awkward therapy sessions or fake validations. This is the art of asking the right questions that lead to real insights.

Chapter 5: How to Analyze What You Heard

You’ve done the interviews — now what? We’ll break down how to make sense of your notes, spot patterns, and turn random comments into clear direction for your product or strategy.

Chapter 6: My Journey with Openfor.co

To wrap it up, I’ll share how I've done validation work over and over again for Openfor.co — using everything I’ve covered in this series. I’ll show you the missteps, the breakthroughs, and how it evolved into something that I would never imagine.

🚀 Ready to Dive In?

This isn’t a startup masterclass. It’s a real-life field manual for founders who want to get clarity, traction, and truth — early. Every startup that wants to be successful should be a truth seeker, by utilizing the scientific methodology to find out building what matters. If that’s you, let’s start with the first Chapter. 

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Chapter 1: Stop Guessing, Start Discovering

Let’s talk about something most first-time founders get wrong — myself included, when I started.

It’s customer development. We all get excited about our startup ideas. Maybe your friends told you it was brilliant. Maybe you even built a landing page and got 300 clicks. That feels like validation, right?

But here’s the truth: that’s not a business — that’s a series of guesses. And hope? Hope isn’t a strategy.

Before you build anything, you need to test your assumptions: Who exactly is your customer? What problem are you solving for them? Do they care enough to pay or switch?

This is where customer development comes in. It’s your reality check.

Start with a Simple Exercise

Begin by writing down the problems you believe your customers are facing. Be as specific as possible. Then try to support each one with real-world signals — how many people face it, how often, and how much time or money it costs them.

This quick exercise will keep you grounded before you head into conversations.

Then, Talk to Real People

Get out of the building — metaphorically and literally. Talking to your co-founder or friends doesn’t count. You need insights from real, potential customers. Forget your slides. Don’t pitch. Just listen.

Your goal in these early conversations is simple:

1. Is this a problem they face?

2. Is it painful or valuable enough that they’d pay or switch to fix it?

   
   

That’s it. Sometimes, you’ll find out the problem doesn’t matter to them. Or worse — they don’t care at all. That can be tough to accept. You might feel attached to your idea, especially if you’ve already talked to 20 people and received some encouraging feedback.

But until that feedback comes from someone who doesn’t owe you anything, you’re probably just validating your excitement.

Customer development doesn’t exist to kill your dream — it exists to help it survive.

A Few Tips That Make All the Difference

• Look for urgency, not just pain. Lots of things are annoying, but people only act when the pain is urgent — when it’s hurting their sleep, performance, or income.

• Start before you feel ready. Don’t wait for the perfect logo, prototype, or pitch deck. A single conversation can teach you more than a month of planning.

• Don’t test your idea — test their problem. Founders love explaining their ideas. But early on, you should do the opposite. Talk less. Listen more. Understand their pain.

• Need honesty? Be honest first. If someone’s being overly nice, try saying, “I’m not sure this idea is even good.” That vulnerability often opens the door for real feedback. (But avoid this approach in a sales setting.)

  
  

This Week’s Challenge

This week, after doing that short exercise that was mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, just go talk to at least 10 real potential users.

No slides. No pitch. Just listen. Ask about their problems. And take notes like your future depends on it — because it does.

In the next chapter, I’ll help you figure out who to talk to first, so you don’t waste time or get stuck. Let’s go to the next chapter.

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Chapter 2: Who Should You Interview? Use This Trick to Find Out Fast

In the last chapter, we talked about why it's important to get out of the building, to talk to real people, and validate real problems. But that brings up the next question: Who should you talk to first?

If you're like most founders, you start with a long list: freelancers, remote workers, small agencies, YouTubers... Then you freeze. You can't talk to everyone. You don’t have the time, and not all feedback is useful.

So, how do you focus? Inside our accelerator, we use a simple framework called the SPA Treatment to quickly compare and prioritize potential customer segments.

SPA stands for:

• Size

• Pay Willingness

• Access

Let’s quickly break each one down.

1. Size

How big is this group?

• Remote workers? Huge market — score 3.

• Indie game developers? Smaller, niche — score 1.

You’re not aiming for precision. Just rough comparisons to spot scale.

2. Pay Willingness

Do they feel the pain enough to pay for a solution?

• Parents working from home? Big problem, but small budget — score 1.

• Course creators? Clear need and budget — score 3.

You want people with both pain and motivation to spend.

3. Access

How easily can you reach them?

• If you already work with course creators, score 3.

• If you don’t know where college students hang out, score 1.

Access helps you get real insights, fast.

Once you’ve scored each segment (1–3 for each SPA category), multiply the numbers:

Size × Pay × Access = Priority Score

The segment with the highest score is your starting point. Focus there first. Eliminate the weakest one, and keep the two you’re excited to stick with.

Also, think about your connection to the segment. Do you understand their world? Can you relate to their struggles? That personal connection gives you an edge in trust, insight, and motivation.

Extra Advice to Stay Strategic

As you narrow your focus, here are a few bonus principles that’ll make you sharper:

1. Prioritize customers already paying for a solution. If someone’s spending money to solve the problem, it’s a strong signal they’ll act again if your solution is better.

2. Follow your curiosity. If a segment doesn’t excite you, don’t force it. You’ll lose energy over time, and that’ll affect your ability to serve them well.

3. Look for network density. One customer who can refer five more is more valuable than five disconnected ones. Communities matter.

4. Interview your anti-persona too. Talking to people who aren’t your customers can help clarify your message. You’ll learn what doesn’t resonate — and why.

Action Step

List 3–5 potential customer segments. For each one:

• Score 1–3 on Size, Pay Willingness, and Access

• Multiply the scores

• Pick the top one to start interviewing

In the next chapter, we’ll cover how to find and approach these people, without being desperate or spammy.

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Chapter 3:Where Do You Find People to Interview? (Without Making It Weird)

You’ve figured out that guessing won’t help you build something people actually want. You’ve also learned how to narrow down your customer segments using the SPA framework.

Now comes the next hurdle: Where do you find these people — and how do you get them to talk to you without sounding desperate, awkward, or spammy? Let’s walk through some simple, effective approaches.

If You’re B2B: Be the Helpful Expert

You’re not selling — you’re learning. But to earn someone’s time, you still need to provide something useful.

A few methods that work well:

1. Host mini-webinars or office hours Pick a useful topic in your domain:  “How to reduce churn using partnerships” or “3 automation tools for lean teams.”

   1. Invite people from LinkedIn, Slack groups, newsletters — wherever you already have reach. You don’t need 50 signups. Even 5 is gold.

   2. At the end, just say: “By the way, I’m researching this topic. Would love to hear about your challenges.”

   3. And Boom. Interviews booked.

If You’re B2C: Hang Out Where They Already Are

Again, don’t sell — listen. Your goal is to understand people’s pain points, not convince them of anything. Look for places where your target users already talk about their struggles:

• Reddit threads

• Twitter/X search results

• Discord or Facebook groups

• YouTube comments, Substack replies, or blog discussions

Sometimes, in-person interactions are even better. Think hobby meetups, co-working spaces, or semi-professional events. Approach with empathy. Don’t be pushy. Be social, ask for a bit of their perspective, and be transparent about what you’re working on.

Here’s a simple example: If you're building a tool for freelancers, search Reddit for something like “freelancer invoice nightmare.” You’ll likely find real stories.

Leave a thoughtful reply, such as: “I’m working on something to help with this. Mind if I ask a few quick questions to understand better?” Keep it informal — like a conversation, not a pitch.

Use Tools That Lower Friction

You don’t need to cold-call or send 100 emails. Use tools that make it easy for people to say yes:

• Typeform – Create a short screener to filter for the right people

• Calendly – Let them book a time that works for them

• Loom – Share short video messages to make async communication feel personal

If you’re starting from scratch, offering a small thank-you (like a $10 digital gift card) can help. Just be respectful of their time, and deliver the reward after the interview.

Tips to Find People Faster

Here are four strategies that make outreach more effective:

1. Search, don’t spray-  Don’t mass-post. Instead, find where conversations are already happening. Join those discussions.

2. Join niche communities quietly-  If you're shy or not ready to speak up, join under a low-profile name and just listen. Get a feel for the language and culture before jumping in.

3. Use referral stacking-  After every interview, ask: “Is there one or two others you think I should talk to?”. This builds your network quickly and organically.

4. Turn rejections into feedback- If someone declines, ask why. Their reasoning may give you insight into how your message or approach can improve.

Your Action Step

• This week, pick one channel your target customers already use — maybe Reddit, LinkedIn, a Slack group, or even Twitter.

• Make a short, honest post. Offer real value. Ask for a quick chat.

• Then, once you’ve mapped out your first assumptions, build your next round of questions.

• Make them open-ended, focused, and tied directly to the problem you’re trying to validate.

• Do five solid 30-minute interviews.

• At least two should be people you haven’t spoken with before — ideally, folks who closely resemble the customer you think you’re building for.

• This isn’t about going wide.

• It’s about learning deeply.

• In the next chapter, I’ll walk you through exactly what to ask —

• So you don’t freeze up, pitch too early, or waste the moment.

If this helped, drop a comment below and let me know what channel you’re starting with . Let’s keep moving.

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Chapter 4: What Should You Ask in Customer Interviews? (So It’s Not Awkward or Useless)

You’ve already nailed the essentials: you know why building purely on gut feeling doesn’t work, who your potential customers are, and where to find them. Now, the next big question emerges — and for many founders, it’s the hardest one: “What should I actually ask in a customer interview?”

It’s a tricky moment. You don’t want it to feel like therapy. You don’t want to come off as pushy or salesy. And most importantly, you want answers that are useful. Let’s walk through how to do exactly that, without the awkwardness or wasted time.

A Quick Founder Mindset Reminder

This part might be uncomfortable. You’ll get ignored. Ghosted. Maybe even rejected with a flat-out “not interested.” And that’s okay.

Customer discovery isn’t about being liked — it’s about being curious. You’re not here to sell. You’re here to learn.

Two Ground Rules Before You Start

1. No pitching.- Don’t try to get people excited about your idea. Don’t sneak in your solution mid-conversation. The second you start selling, your brain stops listening — and you miss real insights.

2. Focus on the past or present — never the future- Avoid questions like, “Would you pay for this?” People love to be polite and say yes. That doesn’t help you.Instead, ask things like: “Tell me about the last time you tried to solve this problem.”This gets you into what happened, which is far more valuable than speculation.

   
   

Ok,  My Go-To Interview Script (Use it Exactly Like This, and customize the parts)

Step 1: “Tell me about the last time you experienced [the problem].” Let them talk. Don’t interrupt. You’re not looking for polished answers — you’re looking for frustration, friction, and real-life chaos.

Step 2: “What was the hardest part about that?” Push them to zoom in. If they say something vague like “It was frustrating,” follow up. Use mirroring: repeat their last few words as a question — “It was frustrating?” — to invite deeper reflection.

Step 3: “Why was that hard?” This might feel awkward, but it’s where real gold lies. You’ll start hearing emotional cues like:

• “Because I felt like I was falling behind.”

• “Because I looked unprofessional.”

This emotional layer is where strong positioning, copy, and UX come from.

Step 4: “How are you solving this problem now?” If they’re doing nothing, it likely isn’t a painful enough problem. But if they’ve patched together a workaround, good sign. That’s your opportunity.

Step 5: “Why isn’t that current solution great?” This reveals the gap. You might hear:

• “It takes too long.”

• “It’s unreliable.”

• “I don’t like using it, but I have to.”

That’s where your product might fit — by closing that gap.

Bonus Advice from Other Founders

• Watch for emotion. Pay attention to their tone. Frustration, confusion, guilt — these feelings help shape your messaging later.

• Repeat the process 2–3 times. Ask about different moments or examples. You’ll see patterns faster and spot recurring pain points.

• Use the “5 Whys.” Don’t stop at the surface. Keep asking “why?” until you hit the root cause. That’s where true insight lives. (Yes, it may feel awkward at first — but it gets easier and more conversational over time.)

  
  

Extra Tips to Take Your Interviews Deeper

1. Ask them to show, not tell. Instead of asking “What tool do you use?”, say “Can you show me the last tool you used?” Behavior beats memory.

2. Record your interviews (with permission). You’ll catch things you missed — tone, pacing, hesitation. These subtleties matter.

3. Pay attention to silence. If they pause or stumble, lean in. Confusion is insight. Ask, “Could you say more about that?”

4. Ask, “How do you wish this worked?” After hearing how they currently solve the problem, ask them what the ideal looks like. That vision could guide your roadmap.

   
   

Your Action Step

• Pick your top customer segment.

• Schedule 3 interviews this week.

• Use this exact flow. No pitch. No pressure. Just human questions.

In the next chapter, I’ll show you how to take notes, what to do with the notes, and how to analyze the results of these interviews. Because insight is only useful if you can act on it.

If this helped, comment below. And if you’re stuck, send me your questions. I read everything. Let’s go to the next!

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Chapter 5: How to Analyze Your Interviews

You did it. You got outside the building, asked the right questions, and talked to real people. Hopefully, you listened more than you spoke.

Now you’re sitting on a pile of notes — raw conversations, quotes, sticky notes, recordings, and scattered insights. It's messy, and the big question is: "What are we going to do with all this?"

Let’s walk through a simple, step-by-step approach to make sense of your interviews, without covering every wall in your office with sticky notes.

Step 1: Create a Simple Insights Document

First, don’t overcomplicate things. Open a blank document — Google Docs, Notion, or a spreadsheet works fine. Title it something like:

Customer Discovery – [Project Name]

For each interview, write a summary covering:

• Who they are

• What problem did they describe

• How they’re currently solving it

• What’s frustrating about that

• Emotional tone or specific language used

Keep it short — just one paragraph per interview. Attach any relevant links, recordings, or files to that entry if needed. The goal is to capture the essence, not the entire transcript.

Step 2: Look for Patterns

Once you’ve summarized a few interviews, scan through the document to identify recurring themes. Ask yourself:

• What problems keep coming up?

• What emotions are repeated?

• Are people describing the same friction, just in different words?

For example:

• “Three people said they wasted hours switching between tools.”

• “Two others said their setup was confusing and clunky.”

That’s a pattern. Patterns indicate opportunity. They’re signals, not just noise.

Step 3: Filter Out Weak Signals

Just because one person mentioned something doesn’t mean it’s worth building around, at least not yet.

Here's how to think about it:

• One-off comments = interesting, but not conclusive.

• Repeated themes from 3+ people (especially if unprompted) = strong signal.

• Mentions of money, urgency, or clear pain = dig deeper.

You’re looking for repeatable, real pain, not edge cases.

Step 4: Prioritize What Hurts Most

Now that you’ve spotted some themes, ask: Which problems are truly painful and urgent?

Clues that it’s a real pain point:

• People are hacking together their own workarounds.

• They’re spending time or money to make things work.

• They express frustration or urgency clearly.

If they’re doing nothing about it, it might not be urgent enough. Focus on what they’re actively trying to solve — even if they’re failing.

Step 5: Write a One-Page Summary

Use your top insights to create a simple document titled: What We Learned from 10 Interviews

Format it like this:

1. People don’t know how to [solve X].-  Example: Four people said, “I just guess” or “I kind of wing it.”

2. Their current solution is inefficient or frustrating.-  Example: Three said they use a workaround, but it wastes time and still fails.

3. What they want is [emotional outcome or desired state].-  They’re not asking for a tool — they’re asking for confidence, control, or clarity.

This summary becomes the foundation of your messaging, MVP, and roadmap. You can even use these points in your investor or customer pitch.

Also, observe how they’re solving this problem today:

• Are they using spreadsheets?

• Paying for expensive tools?

• Doing nothing at all?

If they’re actively trying and still frustrated — that’s where you build. If they’re not trying at all, it might not be urgent enough.

Also, look at previous companies that tried solving this and failed — there’s often gold in what didn’t work.

Bonus: Smarter Analysis Tactics

To make the process even more effective, consider these tips:

• Use tags to categorize notes: Pain = red, workaround = yellow, emotion = blue, request = green. If you’re using Notion or Airtable, color-coded tags make patterns jump out.

• Keep one insight per note or cell. Don’t combine multiple learnings into a single point. This forces clarity.

• Flag money-related comments. Anytime someone says “I would’ve paid for…” or shows urgency, highlight it. These are signals of real value.

• Use their exact words in your messaging. Headlines, landing pages, and pitch decks should sound like your user. Real phrases > made-up copy.

Your Action Step

• This week, take five to ten of your recorded interviews.

• Summarize them simply.

• Look for clear patterns.

• Write down the three most important insights.

You’re no longer just collecting feedback — you’re shaping your direction.

In the next chapter, I’ll show you how I used this process to validate Openfor.co — and how it led to something I never expected.

If you’re in this messy-but-exciting phase, keep going. It gets clearer with every interview.

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Chapter 6: My Journey with Openfor.co

In this final chapter, I want to get personal. We’ve covered frameworks, scripts, and tactics — now let me show you what this looks like in real life. I’m going to walk you through how I validated Openfor.co — not through perfect theory, but through awkward conversations, rejection, and constant iteration. It wasn’t glamorous, but it laid the foundation for a business that now spans partnerships, programs, and even VC.

It All Started with One Simple Question

In the early days, I knew one thing: I needed an idea that could get early momentum. Something I could test fast. So I picked a question and took it everywhere — events, calls, DMs.

“I’m building a database of companies that are open for collaborations. Would you be interested in being listed?”

Almost everyone said “yes.” And at first, I thought that meant validation. But it didn’t. The real test came when we started asking for money. And that’s when the difference became clear: People saying yes is easy. People's payment is validation.

When the List Turned Into a Service

As the list grew, people came back with urgent needs: “Can you help us find a specific partner? We’ll pay.”

That was a turning point. The simple list became a manual matching service. We were essentially consulting — connecting companies one by one.

It worked, and it brought in revenue. But I knew it wasn’t scalable. Consulting is a great way to bootstrap, but it’s not a long-term product business. So we did what any founder should do next: we kept validating.

From Service to Platform

We turned every service interaction into a product hypothesis. We started asking again:

• “What tools do you use right now?”

• “What’s frustrating about them?”

• “What would you pay for?”

We tested pricing. We refined messaging. We experimented with different revenue models: flat fees, memberships, and referral-based commissions.

Every time someone showed interest, we’d ask ourselves: “What would it take to get paid here, repeatably?”

It wasn’t about ideas. It was about behavior.  And when real money started coming in through structured offers, we knew we were onto something.

The Business Model We Never Planned For

Then something unexpected happened. Startups began asking for more than just partners. They wanted help with growth, traction, and go-to-market strategy.

So we adapted. We started offering deeper support and became equity partners in some cases. That led us to launch an accelerator. And now? We’re building a venture fund on top of all of it.

None of that was in the original roadmap. But every pivot came from the same loop:

• Listen to your users

• Solve real pain

• Validate every step, quickly, really quickly, raily, like reflex. 

The Journey Isn’t Over

Even now, we are on both sides of the table and growing, the validation process hasn’t stopped.

• We keep talking to users.

• We keep refining the product.

• We keep testing new business models — without ever losing the original vision: To help companies find the right partners and help them collaborate to grow faster, together.

Here are sme Extra Advice That Took Me Further that might be relevant to you

• Don’t chase perfect ideas. Chase real problems. That’s where real businesses start.

• You’ll start in the idea maze. That’s normal. The way out is simple: start with one question.

• Ask that question until you’re tired of hearing yourself. Repetition is how you uncover patterns, not guesses.

• Build based on patterns of feedback. Not instincts. Not praise. What keeps coming up? That’s your path.

• Be ready to evolve. Stay flexible. The best founders are relentlessly changeable.

• Turn every service request into a product hypothesis. If someone pays you to do something manually, ask: “What would this look like as software?”

• Let the market shape the roadmap. Listen. The best next step almost always comes from a real user, not your strategy doc.

• Use consulting to fund validation, not to get stuck.Cash is good. But if you’re always custom-building, you’re not scaling. Take the money. Learn. Move on.

• Revalidate when things change. New price? New user group? New market? Redo discovery. Old insights fade fast.

  
  

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Ending: Wrap-Up + CTA

Alright — let’s recap. In this 6-part series, we covered the full customer discovery journey:

• Chapter 1 — Why guessing is dangerous, and how to start discovering for real

• Chapter 2 — How to choose who to interview so you don’t waste time

• Chapter 3 — Where to find people, and how to actually get them to talk to you

• Chapter 4 — What to ask (and what to never ask) to uncover real insights

• Chapter 5 — How to analyze your interviews and find patterns worth building around

• Chapter 6 — My own story: how I validated Openfor.co, and where it led

This isn’t just theory. It’s a practical playbook you can start using today.

So here’s your next move:

✅ Rewatch or reread any chapter you need

✅ Start talking to real people this week

✅ And if this helped you, share it with another founder

Let’s stop guessing. And start to practically use the scientific methodology to validate important actions and decisions. 

There are a lot of problems to solve in the world. Let’s build things people need. So, subscribe if you didn't already, and leave a comment below. I’d open free group office hours for the people who comment below. See you in the next one.

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