Alloy Growth Lab – Startup Snacks #124 – Talk First, Build Later: The Power of Early Customer Discovery

Hey everybody!

Welcome to October—and a brand new Startup Snacks theme: 🎯 Customer Discovery.

Before you build the product, launch the landing page, or pitch the investor, there’s one thing every startup needs to do:

Talk to real people about the real problem.

This week, we’re diving into why early-stage customer discovery is your best tool for clarity—and how to actually start doing it well.

🧠 1. You’re Not Selling—You’re Listening

Customer discovery isn’t about pitching your idea. It’s about learning what people are already struggling with—and how they’re trying to solve it now.

Ask open-ended questions like:

• “Walk me through the last time you dealt with [problem].”
• “What did you try first? Then what?”
• “What’s the biggest frustration with that process today?”

Let them talk. You’ll hear gold in the details.

🧪 2. Stay Curious, Not Convincing

It’s tempting to say, “That’s exactly what we’re building!” Don’t.

This is about understanding, not validating. Resist the urge to steer the conversation toward your idea. Instead, explore their language, their process, their pain.

📝 3. Structure the Conversation, But Keep It Loose

Prepare a few questions—but don’t make it a script. A good customer interview flows naturally.

✔️ Start with broad context ✔️ Move into specific behaviors ✔️ Close by asking if they'd be open to chatting again

If they say yes? You’re onto something.

👥 4. Talk to at Least 10 People Before Building Anything

No-code tools are fast. AI tools are faster. But talking to humans is still the best signal of need.

Aim for 10–15 conversations with your target audience. Don’t cherry-pick feedback from friends or industry peers—find real potential users.

🔄 5. Capture Patterns, Not Quotes

After each call, jot down what you heard—and look for common threads.

• What language did they use?
• What’s the biggest recurring pain point?
• Where are they hacking together a solution?

Those patterns = insight. Insight = product direction.

✅ Key Takeaways

• Early customer discovery helps you avoid building the wrong thing
• Focus on listening, not selling
• Consistency across interviews is more valuable than one “perfect” conversation

🔜 What’s Next?

Next week, we’ll share how to craft great customer interview questions, and how to avoid common traps that lead to biased or unhelpful feedback.

At Alloy Growth Lab, we remind founders: Talk to users first. Then decide what to build.

Oct 6-9- StartupCincy Week- Register Here!!! - 

Oct 8 - 12- America’s River Roots Festival- Learn More

Oct 22 - Hamilton County presents Pitch & Empower Event - learn more here!