Burst the bubble: five days, five customers challenge
Founder, you’ve been challenged. Can you get feedback from five potential customers in five days?
"I'll start engaging my target market next week."
(Narrator: They did not start engaging their target market.)
Sound familiar? I've been there. We all have that perfectly crafted list of potential customers we're definitely going to reach out to... someday.
I’m not about to try and motivate you with some platitude on the power of getting started. Instead, I’ll give you a way to.
This is by no means the perfect way of getting started but it has some solid advantages. First, it’s radically practical - very little planning required.
And second, it does what it says on the tin. By starting with the activity that’s most likely to set you on the right track: customer conversations.
Why five?
Five is the sweet spot for getting started.
It's enough to identify some basic patterns that will entice you to dig deeper.
It’s a full work week, giving you enough time to feel accomplished and appreciate what could you achieve by building this practice into a habit.
At the same time, it’s an achievable target that should feel well worth pursuing.
You’re more than welcome to increase the number of days and conversations. Just make sure you stick to your plan.
Challenge instructions
The rules:
One conversation per day (no batching!)
Reflection time between conversations will help you fine-tune your approach.No pitching allowed
Get into the habit of listening. It’s about your audience not your idea.Document everything
If it’s not written down it’ll be forgotten before the week is over!
Your prep checklist:
List 20 potential customers
Draft your outreach message:
Keep it short
Make it personal
Be clear about time (15-20 minutes)
Don't pitch
Outreach template I use:
Hi [name], I'm researching how [people like you] handle [specific problem]. Would you be open to a 15-minute chat about how you approach this? Thank you.
[Your name]Write your questions:
Use the Mom Test framework to write 3-4 questions
Focus on needs and motivations
Document your findings:
Use the Quote > Insight > Action framework to distill actionable insight
If things go wrong
Don’t panic if your conversations aren’t as smooth as expected at the beginning. It’s normal.
Some common hiccups to help you prepare ahead:
Someone cancels → Have backup leads ready
Getting off track → Return to "Tell me about..."
Too much pitching → Write "LISTEN" on your notepad
Beyond the challenge
By day 5, you'll have:
Real customer insights
Clear action items
Interview confidence
A process you can improve iteratively
Momentum!
But most importantly? You’ll have burst the bubble of building in isolation.
Your turn
Right now:
Open your calendar
Block five 30-minute slots for next week
Make your customer list
Send your first outreach message
Don't overthink it. Don't wait for perfect. Just start.
P.S. Drop me a line when you've scheduled your first chat - accountability works! 💪