42% of failed startups built something nobody needed. That is from one CB Insights analysis of 101 founder post-mortems. Not bad code. Not bad luck. Nobody needed it. If you are building an AI product...this is the cheapest fix you will ever make... Ask these 5 questions BEFORE you build... 1. Who exactly has this problem? Everyone is not an answer. Name a job title. 2. How are they solving it today? If they are not solving it at all, it may not hurt enough. 3. What does it cost them? Hours, money or missed deals. Get a number. 4. Would they pay for a fix this month? Ask for a pre-order or a pilot, not a compliment. 5. Who have you talked to this week? Aim for 5 real conversations before writing a line of code. Copy-paste prompt to prepare your interviews: I am building [product] for [job title]. Write 10 customer interview questions that uncover how they solve [problem] today, what it costs them, and what they have already paid for. No leading questions. Compliments do not validate a product. Payments and pilots do. Save this before your next build sprint. Follow me to meet again Daily learn with me (Maryam Tehsin)

Such an important reminder! 👏 It's easy to focus on building a product, but understanding the customer's real problem should always come first. Real feedback is worth more than compliments!

Proof beats promises, so here’s the actual build. This is a lead response workflow I set up in GoHighLevel for real estate. It’s a sample build, not a client account. Form submitted → instant text → instant email → pipeline stage → follow-ups on day 1, 3 and 7. Every box is something an agent would otherwise do by hand between showings. Want to see how it would look with your leads? DM “AUTOMATE” for a free automation audit.