How to Talk to Customers Before You Build

Building before talking is the most expensive mistake a founder can make.

You have an idea. Your instinct says build it. That instinct is wrong.

The founders who raise money, get traction, and survive their first two years are almost always the ones who spent weeks talking to potential customers before they wrote a line of code. The ones who didn’t? They built something nobody wanted. And in 2026, when you can build a prototype in a weekend with AI tools, the temptation to skip straight to building is even stronger. Resist it.

Why conversations come first

You think you understand the problem. You might. But you don’t know how your customers describe it, how they currently deal with it, what they’ve already tried, or what they’d actually pay to fix it. Those things can only come from conversations. Not surveys. Not assumptions. Real, open-ended conversations with real people who have the problem.

How to find people to talk to

Start with your network, but don’t stop there. LinkedIn is the fastest way to find people with specific job titles or in specific industries. Reach out with a short message: “I’m researching how [specific group] handles [specific problem]. Would you have 20 minutes for a quick call?” Most people will say yes if the ask is small and specific. Aim for people who aren’t your friends or family. Friends will tell you what you want to hear. Strangers will tell you the truth.

What to ask

The single most important rule: don’t talk about your idea. Talk about their problem. Ask open-ended questions. “Tell me about the last time you dealt with [problem].” “What did you do?” “What was frustrating about that?” “Have you tried to fix it? What happened?” Never ask “would you use this?” or “would you pay for this?” Those are leading questions and the answers are worthless. People say yes to be polite. What they actually do is different.

The concept behind Rob Fitzpatrick’s The Mom Test is essential here: ask questions that even your mum can’t lie to you about. Focus on what people have done, not what they say they’d do.

How many conversations is enough?

You need 15 to 20 solid conversations before you should feel confident enough to commit to building. By conversation 10, you’ll start hearing the same pain points repeated. By 15, you’ll know whether the problem is real, how people describe it, and what a solution might look like. If you’re not hearing patterns by 15 conversations, either the problem isn’t as big as you thought or you’re talking to the wrong people.

What counts as validation

Validation isn’t someone saying “cool idea.” It’s someone describing the problem unprompted, telling you what they’ve already spent money or time trying to fix, and leaning forward when you hint at a better way. The strongest signal is when someone asks “can I try it?” before you’ve even offered.

This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice.