You got the spark. The idea that popped into your head at 3 AM while you were solving another puzzle. This was something you always wondered about the inefficiency in your industry and now you are convinced that this is the way out.
It’s brilliant! Eureka!
AI is the change event that makes it possible. You can see it in the success story headlines!
Thats Great!
But then (since 1844) they have also been saying “hold your horses”
Before you remortgage your house, max out your credit cards and start designing hoodies with your amazing logo, there’s a little speed bump called reality check.
And no, its not the conversation you need to have with your significant other….
It’s time to step away from your precious idea-baby and ask the grown-up version of you… if it actually solves a problem? Does anyone care enough to pay for that solution? Is there hard evidence or precedent?
This is the crucial next step. It is the bridge between the problem definition and the future vision of the world working seamlessly with the envisioned solution.
It is about you validating the problem
……and the best way requires talking to people who aren’t legally obligated to like you (sorry, Mom and close friends). Yes AI tools like perplexity/claude/chatgopt and several others can help you do basic research so yes please go ahead and do that. However, talk specifically to industry leaders and domain experts.
Why Talk Before You Build?
Building a product on assumptions is like buying a lottery ticket and planning your yacht purchase before the draw. Fun way to manifest success, but fiscally responsible? Questionable at best.
Talking to experts lets you:
1. De-Risk Your Venture: Think of each conversation as a free peek into the future. You might discover your “revolutionary” idea already exists in some other form.
Or you may find that nobody actually experiences the problem you think they do
Or worse, they like the problem and the beauty of the complex solutions they have designed to address it. (For instance you may hear “What? Replace the spreadsheet I built in ’07 with its 42 tabs and cryptic macros? No way! It’s got character! It has harmony”)
I once advised a startup that built a platform for people to swap leftover fractions of cryptocurrencies – like the $0.32 worth of DogeCoin you can’t easily trade. They thought they were solving a universal annoyance. They discovered most people just didn’t care enough about pocket change crypto to use a dedicated platform. Lots of blockchain wizardry, zero traction. Ouch!
2. Deeply Understand the Real Problem: Is your perceived problem a mosquito bite (annoying, but manageable) or a gaping wound (people will pay anything to fix it)? Experts will tell you straight, often without the cushioning your friends provide. That’s kindness.
With that candid feedback you may come up with derivatives of the original idea that some innovative leaders in your industry will be willing to pay for.
3. Refine Your Pitch (So It doesn’t take 15 min monologues to get across): Understanding the actual pain points helps you explain your value without relying on buzzwords that make industry veterans roll their eyes.
4. Gather Market Intelligence (aka Free Consulting): Experts often spill the beans on competitors, failed attempts, industry quirks, and what actually keeps them up at night. It’s corporate intelligence and you might even get offered coffee. Lots of ideas hidden behind corporate assumptions.
5. Build Early Allies: These aren’t just interviews; they’re relationship starters. Today’s expert giving advice could be tomorrow’s advisor, beta tester, or the person who introduces you to your first big client. They will watch what you do and may even change their mind and decide they like it.
Focus Fiercely on the Problem, Not Your Genius Solution (Yet!)
Seriously, zip it about your amazing app for a minute. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to confirm:
- Does this problem make people want to tear their hair out, or just mildly grumble?
- How are they kludging together solutions right now? (Think equivalent of duct tape, spreadsheets, spaghetti integration, elaborate sticky notes.)
- If they had a magic wand to fix this, what would the outcome look like? (Not the wand itself, the result!)
Think of it this way: You wouldn’t propose marriage on a first date, right? Don’t propose your solution before you deeply understand the other person’s (the market’s) needs and desires. Validate the relationship potential first!
The “Magic” Number: Aim for 100+ Conversations (Yes, Really)
Okay, 100+ sounds like a lot. You’ll need to work your network and lots of coffee. But talking to just your cousin Vinnie or perplexity or your enthusiastic neighbor doesn’t cut it.
- Pattern Recognition: After 10 chats, you’ll have anecdotes. After 50, you’ll see trends. After 100+, you’ll have genuine, hard-won conviction (or a compelling reason to pivot).
- Escaping Your Bubble: It forces you to hear perspectives beyond your own confirmation bias. You might discover your problem only exists on Tuesdays for left-handed dentists in Idaho. Good to know now it was a very small TAM.
- Refining Your Questions: By conversation #73, you’ll be a finely tuned problem-seeking missile, asking insightful questions you hadn’t even conceived of at chat #3.
Where to Find These Elusive Experts (Without Being Creepy)
Think of yourself as an anthropologist studying the native habitat of the “Industry Professional.”
1. LinkedIn: The Digital Watering Hole:
- Targeted Search: Go beyond “CEO.” Look for “Director of Widget Integration,” “Senior Frustration Manager,” or whatever title deals with the pain you’re investigating. Use filters like a pro.
- Polite Stalking: See who comments on industry leaders’ posts. Check out speakers from relevant webinars. It’s research, not restraining-order territory (usually).
- Group Therapy: Join relevant LinkedIn Groups. Offer helpful comments before sliding into DMs asking for 15 minutes of their precious time.
2. Trade Shows & Industry Conferences: The Expert Safari:
- The Gauntlet: Yes, it’s chaos. Yes, your wallet and feet will hurt. But nowhere else can you find such a high concentration of your target species. Wear comfy shoes and pack breath mints. At a massive tech conference, a founder friend skipped the main stage keynotes and just hung out near the charging stations. Why? Because people stuck there for 15-30 minutes were often bored VPs happy to chat about their biggest tech headaches. Genius!
- Ambush Tactics (Polite Ones): Approach speakers after their talks, chat with people at booths (especially competitors!), join lines for coffee. Have your “problem questions” ready.
3. Other Hunting Grounds:
- Niche Communities: Slack, Discord, Reddit – find where your people digitally hang out.
- Warm Intros: Never underestimate asking your network: “Who do you know who deals with X?”
How to Approach Experts Without Sending Them Running
Imagine getting a cold email asking you to review someone’s terrible screenplay. Don’t be that person.
- Personalize Like a Human: “I saw your talk on…” “Your article about X was insightful…” Show you’ve done 0.5 seconds of homework. Copy-paste messages smell desperate.
- Clear Ask, Small Commitment: “I’m researching challenges in [area]. Given your expertise in [specific thing], I’d be grateful for 15 minutes of your perspective on the problems you see.” No mention of your world-changing app yet!
- Flattery (Genuine): Acknowledge their expertise. People generally like being told they’re smart and experienced. Shocking, I know.
- Make It Easy: Offer their preferred time/method (Zoom, call, carrier pigeon).
During the Chat: Channel Your Inner Therapist
- Listen 80%, Talk 20%: Seriously. Shut up and listen. Ask open-ended questions.
- Problem, Problem, Problem: “Tell me about…” “How does that affect…” “What’s the most frustrating part of…”
- Dig for Workarounds: “So how do you handle that now?” Reveals pain levels and existing (often terrible) solutions.
- The “Magic Wand” Question: “If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about [problem area], what would it be?”
- Okay, Maybe a Tiny Solution Tease (at the end): If the conversation flows well and they’ve clearly articulated a pain point you address, you might say, “Interesting, we’re exploring an idea around X to tackle that exact issue. Does that resonate at all?” Gauge the reaction, don’t hard sell.
Now What? Turn Notes into Gold (or a Pivot)
Collect your notes (digital or crayon-on-napkin). Look for patterns. Did 70 out of 100 experts mention the same specific frustration? Bingo! Did everyone look at you blankly when you described the problem? Uh oh.
Be prepared for your beautiful idea to be torn apart, mutated, or validated. All outcomes are progress! This isn’t about being right; it’s about finding right.
Validating your idea isn’t glamorous. It’s grinding work involving potential rejection and awkward silences. But it’s infinitely cheaper and less soul-crushing than spending a year building something nobody wants. So, take a deep breath, put on your best “curious researcher” hat and start talking. Your future self (and your customers, your team and investors) will thank you.
If you have that spark and wanna speak to Enterprise AI experts at G2C, reach out to us by emailing us at founders@g2cventures.com.