Prompt Library

What is a daily annoyance people have accepted as "normal"?

The best product opportunities hide in plain sight — recurring friction people stopped noticing.

↳ Follow-up: Why do they tolerate it instead of fixing it?

What task do people still solve with spreadsheets but hate doing so?

Spreadsheet workarounds are a reliable signal of unmet software needs.

↳ Follow-up: What specifically makes the spreadsheet painful — manual entry, formulas, collaboration?

What product do professionals complain about but still use daily?

Captive users who hate their tool = massive switching opportunity for the right alternative.

↳ Follow-up: What would make them actually switch?

What service or workflow hasn't fundamentally changed in 10+ years?

Stagnant industries with aging incumbents are often ripe for disruption.

What do people manually track that should be automated?

Any recurring manual process is a candidate for automation — and people will pay to get time back.

↳ Follow-up: How much time per week does it take them?

What workflow currently requires too many tools or app-switching to complete?

Tool fragmentation creates cognitive overhead. A unified solution can command a premium.

↳ Follow-up: What's the switching cost between those tools?

What breaks when a team or operation grows past a certain size?

Scaling pain points are predictable — and companies will pay to solve them proactively.

What problem exists only online (or only offline) but could be bridged?

Online/offline gaps represent markets that neither fully-digital nor fully-physical products serve.

What are 3 completely different ways to solve this problem — including one that requires no software?

Constraint-driven thinking surfaces unexpected solutions. The non-software version reveals core value.

↳ Follow-up: Which approach gives the most insight into what users actually need?

What's the simplest, lowest-tech version of this solution you could test next week?

Smoke test before building. A Google Form + email can validate most B2B SaaS concepts.

What unique access, expertise, or data do you have that others building this solution don't?

Your unfair advantage is what makes you the right founder for this problem, not just the right idea.

↳ Follow-up: Would that advantage still matter in 2 years?

Is this a standalone company or a feature that should live inside an existing product?

Features can be acquired; companies are built. Getting this right determines your entire GTM strategy.

What's the boring, profitable version of this idea vs the exciting, ambitious version?

"Boring but profitable" often wins. Consultants buy boring tools. VCs fund exciting ones. Know which you're building.

Who has this problem the most? Describe one specific person: role, income, company size, geography.

"Everyone" is not a customer. Specificity in persona definition leads to specificity in product decisions.

↳ Follow-up: Would they describe the problem in the same words you just used?

When does this problem occur? How often? What triggers it?

Daily problems command higher prices than weekly ones. Triggered problems are easier to intercept in the funnel.

What happens if this problem is ignored? What's the cost — in time, money, or emotional drain?

Quantify the pain. Problems costing $10K/year per user justify $99/month pricing easily.

What is the ROOT problem underneath the surface problem? Ask "why" 3 times.

Surface problem: "No time to manage social media." Root problem: "No system that turns strategy into daily actions."

↳ Follow-up: Are you solving the root cause or just the symptom?

How do people currently solve this problem, and what do they hate most about their current solution?

The gap between "current solution" and "ideal solution" is your product opportunity.

↳ Follow-up: What would make them switch immediately vs. "eventually"?

Is this a must-have or a nice-to-have problem? Would users be upset if your solution disappeared tomorrow?

Must-have problems survive budget cuts. Nice-to-have features get cancelled first.

Who is your ideal early adopter — someone who feels the problem intensely AND has budget to pay?

Early adopters are not your mass market. They tolerate rough edges, give feedback, and evangelize.

↳ Follow-up: Where do they hang out online? What do they read?

How many people or companies realistically have this problem? Is that number growing or shrinking?

You don't need a huge market — you need a market large enough to reach your revenue goals.

What do these users currently pay for related tools or services? What would they pay for a 10x better solution?

Anchoring WTP to existing spend is more reliable than asking "how much would you pay?" in isolation.

What proof do you have that users actually want this — not just feedback that it's "interesting"?

"Interesting" ≠ demand. Pre-orders, waitlist signups, signed LOIs, or people paying for manual version = real demand.

Are users actively complaining about current solutions, or hacking together DIY workarounds?

Active complaints and hacky workarounds are the strongest leading indicators of product-market fit opportunity.

↳ Follow-up: Have people tried to build this before? Why did they fail or stop?

What revenue model fits the value delivered: subscription, one-time, usage-based, or marketplace?

The right model depends on how often users get value. Daily use → subscription. Event-based → one-time or usage.

At what customer count does this become a sustainable business? What's your CAC vs LTV estimate?

Rough math: if LTV > 3× CAC, the model is viable. If CAC > LTV, you're losing money on every customer.

What is the absolute minimum you need to build to TEST your hypothesis — not to impress, but to learn?

The MVP question is: "What's the cheapest way to know if this works?" Cut every feature that doesn't test the core bet.

What's your riskiest assumption? What must be true for this to work, and how do you test it in 7 days?

List every assumption ranked by risk. The riskiest one is what you validate first — before writing a single line of code.

↳ Follow-up: What would change your mind about pursuing this?

What switching costs will users face to adopt your product — data migration, learning curve, workflow change?

High switching costs = harder to acquire customers, but better retention once they're in.

Complete: "For [user], unlike [current alternative], our [product] is [category] that [key benefit]."

A clear positioning statement forces you to define your target, competitor, and unique value in one breath.

↳ Follow-up: Does this resonate when you say it out loud to someone who doesn't know your product?

What is the ONE thing you want someone to remember about your product after hearing about it?

If users can't repeat your value prop to a friend, you haven't found it yet.

What would make this product very hard to copy 2 years from now?

Defensible advantages: proprietary data, network effects, deep integrations, brand trust in a niche, or community.

↳ Follow-up: Are you building toward that moat from day one?

What transformation does your product create? How does a user's life/work look AFTER using it vs before?

People buy outcomes, not features. "Save 10 hours/week" sells. "AI-powered automation" describes a feature.

What existing category does your product belong to — and should you own that category or create a new one?

Owning an existing category is faster. Creating a new one is harder but defensible. Which is right for your market timing?