5d • Speaker Series
Masterclass about Market Research with Paulo Costa
🎯 Market Research That Actually Prevents You From Wasting 6 Months
Key Insights from My Interview with Paulo Costa
This wasn’t academic market research. This was builder-grade, reality-tested advice for anyone creating software, SaaS, or AI tools.
Here are the biggest takeaways 👇
1️⃣ Market Research Exists to Kill Bad Ideas Early
Market research isn’t about proving your idea is good.
It’s about discovering:
- If people actually need what you’re building
- If competitors already solve the problem better than you can
- If the business is sustainable and scalable, not just “cool”
A good idea that can’t scale or can’t be priced profitably is still a bad business.
2️⃣ Start With the Problem — Not Innovation
Trying to be “first” or “revolutionary” is dangerous.
Instead, ask:
- What problem exists right now?
- Who is already solving it?
- Where are they falling short?
If no one has ever built something like your idea, that’s a warning sign, not a flex.
3️⃣ Competition Is a Signal, Not a Threat
A crowded market usually means:
- People are already paying for solutions
- Demand is proven
- You just need better positioning, not reinvention
Your job is not to invent something new —Your job is to solve a real problem better, faster, or more clearly.
4️⃣ Don’t “Hallucinate” Solutions for Markets You Don’t Understand
You cannot successfully build software for:
- Law firms
- Medical practices
- Supermarkets
- Construction companies
…if you don’t understand how they actually operate.
The best founders:
- Have lived the problem
- Or sit directly with people who do
- And map real workflows before building anything
Technology exists to optimize processes, not replace understanding.
5️⃣ Market Research = Conversations, Not Spreadsheets
The most valuable research doesn’t come from:
- Reports
- Percentages
- Industry PDFs
It comes from:
- Talking to real people
- Watching how they work
- Asking what breaks, not what they want
Surveys and stats help —But direct outreach beats everything.
6️⃣ Communities Are Gold Mines
If you want to validate an idea, go where your users already talk:
- Facebook Groups
- Skool Communities
- WhatsApp / Telegram groups
The best approach:
- Share what you’re building early
- Ask for feedback
- Recruit beta testers
- Adjust as you go
Market research and outreach should happen at the same time.
7️⃣ Don’t Build in a Vacuum
One of the biggest mistakes Paulo warned against:
Spending months building before talking to users.
Instead:
- Start with a rough idea
- Build a simple MVP
- Talk to people immediately
- Let the product evolve with real feedback
Perfect clarity comes after conversations, not before them.
8️⃣ The Best Ideas Come From Where People Are Already Asking for Help
Platforms like Upwork, communities, and forums already show you:
- What people are willing to pay for
- What problems are urgent
- What solutions they can’t find
If people are already asking for it —You don’t need an epiphany. You need execution.
🧠 Bottom Line
Build with people, not assumptions. Solve problems, not fantasies. Talk early. Talk often. Adjust fast.
This is how you build software people actually use.
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Masterclass about Market Research with Paulo Costa
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