Most founders get #MVP development completely backwards. They spend months building features nobody asked for. Then wonder why customers aren't lining up. Here's what I learned after mentoring 50+ startups: Stop building. Start talking. Before you write a single line of code, have 5-10 real conversations with potential #customers. Not your mom. Not your friends. Real people who face the problem you think you're solving. The #MomTest isn't optional. Ask about their current workflow. What breaks down? How much time does it waste? What would make their day easier? Don't pitch. Just listen. Validate the problem before anything else. Not the solution. Not the pricing. Not the features. The problem. If 8 out of 10 people don't immediately nod when you describe their pain point, you're solving the wrong problem. Start with your network. That startup I mentored this Sunday? I told them to pilot with family connections first. (Sunday is a workday in Saudi Arabia, so mentoring sessions happen when founders are free and I am as well, on weekends.) Your uncle's construction company. Your neighbor's maintenance business. Anyone who'll give you honest feedback. Manual onboarding is fine if it gets you real users. Focus on one niche. Not "small businesses." Not "everyone who needs X." Pick construction companies with 10-50 employees. Or restaurant chains with 3-5 locations. Or medical practices with specific compliance needs. Get really good at solving one group's problems before expanding. Track what matters. Forget vanity metrics. Signups mean nothing. Downloads don't pay bills. Watch repeat usage. Measure time saved. Count problems actually solved. Things that don't scale are your friend. Manual customer onboarding? Perfect. Personal phone calls for support? Even better. You learn more in one honest conversation than in 100 analytics reports. Most startups fail because they fall in love with their solution. The successful ones fall in love with their customers' problems.