We spent the first 3 months exploring ideas. Initially, we started with an automated product feedback tool, trying to uncover the “hair-on-fire” problems in that market. Eventually, we pivoted to building a customer success platform. While we validated there was real pain (after speaking with 15+ CS directors, 10+ CEOs, and 5+ sales leaders), we realized the ICP didn’t have enough influence to buy, and our solution didn’t fit seamlessly into their existing workflows.

What we needed for our early sales momentum: Finding hair on fire problem + Budget authority.

Across 30+ interviews, one thing stood out: everyone was drowning in emails. Whether it was CS teams doing reactive firefighting, sales reps staying on top of prospects, or founders trying to keep communication professional with partners, vendors, and customers—email was overwhelming. And they were juggling all this while managing family responsibilities.

The problem of needing help with their inbox really resonated with our first network connections.

We pitched to tech founders who have had exits and sales executives we already knew—and closed 5 out of 15 sales calls.

Part of this success comes from how universal the problem is: email drains time and energy for nearly everyone. But I also want to acknowledge that some of our early customers just wanted to be supportive—something we don’t take for granted.

No way have we figured it out. We are still doing things that don't scale...

At this stage, we continue to do 1:1 sales while validating and refining our roadmap based on feedback about people’s email workflows.

Kinda corny, but … Stepping back and reflecting like this helps remind me that the journey itself is the reward.