More startups fail due to a lack of customers than because of product development failure. Why? Because we have processes in place to manage product development, but we often lack a structured process to manage customer development.

When you're a founder just starting out, you typically begin with hypotheses, not facts. You have assumptions about who your customers are, what their problems are, where they spend their time, and what they want to achieve, among other things.

The customer discovery process allows you, as the founder, to answer these questions and validate your hypotheses about both the problem and the solution.

Customer discovery is about two key activities: listening and testing.

First, listen to your customers rather than trying to sell to them. Ask them about their pains and concerns, and genuinely focus on those instead of your idea or solution.

Then, test your hypotheses based on their feedback by conducting one-on-one interviews or group discussions.

Here are some useful questions for your customer discovery process:

• What are your customers' top problems?
• Are they willing to pay for a solution?
• What does a day in the life of your customer look like?