If you want to build a startup but have no idea how to do it - this is for you. I'm going to show you the simple 5-step plan I used for my 2 startups to get my first paying customers.
And you don't need any experience, funding, or a team.
Give me 10 minutes and you'll have the exact roadmap.
POWERFUL STARTUP RESOURCESAnd you don't need any experience, funding, or a team.
Give me 10 minutes and you'll have the exact roadmap.
The big problem
Most founders fail before they even build anything.
I see this every single week.
Somebody says “Hey I want to build a startup” and opens ChatGPT. “ChatGPT, give me 20 cool startup ideas”.
And ChatGPT answers.
And they pick the one idea they like the most.
9 out of 10 of these startups will never make it.
The reason is that successful startups never start with a “cool idea”.
They start with a person who has a pain. Real pain.
The kind of pain that costs them money, or hours of their week.
AI can give you ideas all day long.
But it cannot give you a real problem you need to fix.
And that difference - that's what separates startups that make it from those that fail.
When you build your startup, you're not looking for a clever idea.
You're looking for a specific person with a specific pain.
These are the ideas that work.
And it’s not complicated to find them - you can just go to Reddit, and look for threads like "Why doesn't this exist yet" or "I've tried everything and I'm stuck."
Or go to LinkedIn. Look at the comments where people are complaining.
You’re looking for the moment someone says
"Why isn't there a solution for this?" That’s your signal.
Here are two pro tips for picking the right pain:
First, pick a pain you've lived with yourself - because you already know how it is and how bad it feels. That's your unfair advantage from day one.
And second - the pain must cost people time, money, or both.
"It’s annoying" is not a business.
"Costs me €500 a month and I hate it" - that's a business.
What to do after you have your startup idea
When you have your startup idea, most founders get hyped - and they start building their product right away.
But that’s a huge mistake.
I once did that and it cost me €100k and 6 months only to find out that nobody wanted my product.
So, before you build anything - you first talk to 10 real people who would later use your product. Just 10.
But you don’t pitch. You don’t sell. You just listen.
Ask them two things:
1. How are you currently solving this problem?
2. What does that cost you - in time, in money, or in frustration?
And then you stop talking. Just listen.
You want to know if they really want this problem solved.
And then you say
"I'm building something to fix this. Would that be valuable to you?"
Just watch their reaction. Don't explain. Don't justify. Just watch.
Here is the golden number:
If 3 out of 10 people say "I need this right now" - not "sounds cool" or "maybe someday" - that's your green light.
You might think 3 out of 10 is quite low, but most startup ideas never even get that. If yours does, you're already ahead of 90% of founders.
But you really want to listen for that “I need this right now”.
Quick pro tip - Record the call or take detailed notes.
The exact words your customers use to describe their pain will be your best marketing copy later.
For example, for your ads, your landing page or your emails.
Your free insurance against building something nobody wants
You’ve got your startup idea and talked to 10 potential customers.
Now comes the most important step when you build your startup.
Because it’s your free insurance against building something that nobody wants and wasting 6 months of your life. It’s the best way to make sure people would pay for your product.
Build a demo and sell it right away.
And only then build the real thing.
This is what most founders get wrong.
They think they need a finished product to sell it. But you don’t.
You simply need something that shows the outcome.
This could be a mockup a slide deck or even a Loom walkthrough of what your product looks like. Put it on a simple landing page - one page - quick headline what it does, the image or demo, one button and the price.
And then reach out personally to 30 people who match your target customer. And send them a quick message. For example:
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"Hey [Steve],
I'm building [product] for people who struggle with [pain].
It’s almost ready, but I’m giving a few people early access at a reduced price of [price].
Are you interested?
Best regards, [your name]"
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That is your entire sales pitch.
Don’t make it complicated.
If people pay - you just validated your startup with real money.
Without a fancy pitch deck or a 5-year business plan.
If nobody pays - the pain isn't strong enough, or you're talking to the wrong person. And you need to go back to Step 1 (Find a real pain).
Now, this might feel like failure, but it’s not.
It actually just saved you from building something that nobody wanted.
The one rule when you build your product
Once you have paying customers, you can build your product.
But here's one rule you cannot break: Build only what people paid for.
Nothing else.
No extra features.
No "while I’m at it."
No nice-to-haves.
Not one thing that wasn't in the original pitch.
This rule will save you months - because founders get excited quickly and start adding things nobody asked for. That turns a 2-week build into a 6-month build.
And by month 2 - people who have already paid start asking for refunds because you are not delivering.
Now, this is the best time to use AI - to build your product faster.
Ship fast. I’m talking about days, not months.
Your first version will look rough and it will feel embarrassing to ship.
But ship it anyway. Your goal is to solve this one problem your customers have, nothing else.
Remember this - your customers want their problem solved - not a product that wins a design award.
You can make the design pretty later.
Get your first 10 customers
Once you release your smallest possible version, you can move on to the final step - and almost every founder sets the wrong target here.
You don't aim for 1,000 customers.
Don't aim for 100.
Your one and only goal right now is 10 paying customers.
Because that number tells you three things.
1. The pain is real.
2. Your solution works.
3. People will pay for it.
That’s something you can use to scale.
And to get your first 10 paying customers, you don’t need expensive ads or a big marketing budget.
It’s actually quite simple.
To make your life easier, I have created a simple worksheet that shows you exactly how to get your first 10 customers - step-by-step.
Here is the quick breakdown:
1. You define who your customers are.
2. You find out where they actually hang out.
3. You reach out to them with a simple message.
4. You turn the conversations into customers.
That’s how you get your first 10 customers.
Quick pro tip - talk to every single customer directly.
Don't go into building mode and blindly ship features nobody asked for.
Ask people what works, what's broken, and what they wish was different. That will be your roadmap for future features.
What's next
If you want to start a startup, this is your plan.
1. Find a real pain you can solve - don’t ask AI for it.
2. Validate it with real people.
3. Pre-sell your idea before you build.
4. Build the smallest possible version.
5. And get your first 10 paying customers.
Most founders skip Step 2 and 3.
That's why they burn 6 months building the wrong thing.
Now, if you want the exact system to build a successful startup, get my Startup Success Bundle.
You will get a clear step-by-step roadmap so you always know what to work on next. It’s already used by 50+ founders, and includes smart AI prompts for each section to save you a ton of time.
Grab it now.
