Ask whether the problem is real

Your immediate circle is not the whole market. The frustrations that matter to you may not matter to the people you hope to serve. An attractive story does not resolve this uncertainty.

Get close to the activity you want to change. Understand its daily work, constraints, and repeated difficulties. Surface impressions rarely reveal why a problem persists.

What people say can differ from what they do. A statement of interest is useful information, but it does not establish demand. Observe behavior and put a concrete offer in front of people.

Some opportunities concern a problem that will become more serious. This requires judgment about a changing situation. Treat that judgment as a hypothesis. Do not describe a prediction as knowledge of the future.