Before You Build: Why Validating the Problem Is the Startup Step You Can’t Afford to Skip

By Lyn Blanchard, FCMC

In the race to launch a startup, most founders are product people at heart. They dream in features, design mockups, and sprint through backlogs with contagious optimism. But somewhere in the frenzy of building the “next big thing,” a fundamental question gets skipped:

Does anyone truly care about this problem we’re solving?

It’s a dangerous assumption—and one that has quietly sunk countless startups.

Validating the problem, not the solution, is the real first act of a successful go-to-market strategy. Yet in the rush to ship an MVP or impress investors, many founders skip straight to pitching their product without deeply confirming whether the pain they’re solving is real, frequent, and painful enough to justify action.

This isn’t just a philosophical misstep—it’s a strategic one. Because marketing a solution to a problem people don’t prioritize is like shouting into the wind. The message won’t stick. The leads won’t convert. And the product, no matter how polished, will struggle to gain traction.

From Assumption to Evidence

Tech history is littered with smart teams who built elegant solutions to lukewarm problems. The lesson? It’s not about what’s possible—it’s about what’s pressing.

As venture capitalist Marc Andreessen famously put it, “The market you’re targeting matters more than your team, your product, or your technology.”

So how do you avoid solving for a shrug?

You shift your mindset from “We’ve got a great product” to “Let’s find a hair-on-fire problem.”

This is the heart of problem validation. And it doesn’t require a giant team or a big budget. What it does require is curiosity, humility, and a structured approach to talking to potential customers before you ask them to buy.

The Power of Unscripted Conversations

The best way to validate a problem isn’t through surveys or spreadsheets—it’s through human conversation.

Founders should aim to conduct 15–20 customer discovery interviews, ideally with people in their assumed target market and a few outliers for contrast. But this isn’t a product pitch. In fact, your product shouldn’t even come up—at least not at first.

Instead, ask questions like:

• “Tell me about the last time you experienced [problem].”
• “What did you do to solve it?”
• “How much time/money did it cost you?”
• “What would a better solution mean for you?”

What you’re looking for are emotional signals: frustration, urgency, workarounds, or enthusiasm. If people are cobbling together homegrown hacks to solve a problem, you’ve struck gold. If they nod politely and say “yeah, that’d be nice,” move on.

Case in Point: A founder developing a marketplace for last-minute pet sitters was confident in demand. But during interviews, they learned most pet owners already relied on close friends or neighbors—free, trusted, and always available. The founder didn’t pivot right away. Six months later, they shut the business down. Problem validation could have saved a year of runway.

When Founders Skip This Step

Skipping problem validation doesn’t just delay success—it compounds failure.

• You waste engineering hours building features nobody asked for.
• You struggle to write compelling messaging because the value isn’t clear.
• You chase the wrong audience with expensive marketing.
• You hear polite “no’s” from investors who aren’t convinced there’s real demand.

What’s worse: early positive signals (like website traffic or signups) can mask the fact that no one’s actually willing to pay or adopt. That’s how zombie startups are born—undead, unfunded, and unsure what went wrong.

A Consultant’s Role: Ask What You Can’t See

For founders deep in the weeds, an experienced management consultant or GTM advisor can add real value here. Not by giving you answers, but by helping you ask the right questions.

Consultants bring:

• Structured interview frameworks
• Objective analysis of qualitative data
• Experience identifying real vs. performative interest
• Clarity in translating interviews into strategic decisions

They also act as a buffer between your product vision and market reality—challenging founder bias while keeping the process focused and empathetic.

The Real Outcome: A Message That Writes Itself

When you truly validate a problem, something remarkable happens: your messaging becomes obvious. You don’t have to invent a story. You just describe what you heard, in your customers’ own words.

Suddenly:

• Your headlines resonate.
• Your sales conversations gain traction.
• Your product roadmap feels clear, not cluttered.

Because now, you’re not selling innovation. You’re selling relief.

Final Word: No Market, No Matter

The startup world idolizes speed. But skipping steps to get to launch faster is like boarding a rocket with no coordinates. You might move fast—but you won’t get far.

So before you invest time, code, or capital, step back and ask: Are we solving a problem people would pay to erase?

If the answer is “I think so,” you’ve got more work to do.

If the answer is “Absolutely—here’s what they told us,” then congratulations: you’re not just building a product. You’re building something people will care about.

Up next: I’ll provide a companion article showcasing the most effective tools, methods, and frameworks for problem validation, from customer interview scripts to qualitative data synthesis techniques. Contact Info: lyn.blanchard@creekstoneconsulting.com 604 418 5288