Many SaaS and tech companies rush into building product without deeply validating customer needs. The result? Bloated feature sets, long sales cycles, and slow adoption.
Founder-led customer research is one of the fastest ways to tighten your positioning, prioritize features, and accelerate market entry — but it requires discipline most teams skip.
The Principle: Don’t Outsource Curiosity
While you can hire sales reps and product managers, there’s no substitute for a founder getting close to the problem in the early days. Your first job isn’t “CEO” — it’s chief investigator. Talk to the people with the problem. Learn their language. Validate before you build.
Case Study: FanFood’s Hands-On Validation
When Carson Goodale came up with the idea for FanFood — a mobile ordering app for stadium concessions — his first move wasn’t to start coding.
As a University of Iowa sophomore, he:
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Personally visited bars to test the original concept.
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Interviewed venue operators and surveyed fans about the “waiting in line” problem.
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Joined an entrepreneurship club to gain mentorship and pressure-test assumptions.
Only after dozens of conversations — and a clear pivot from bars to stadiums — did the team start building an MVP.
Why This Matters for SaaS & Tech Founders
From a consulting perspective, Carson’s approach checks every box of an efficient go-to-market process:
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Problem-Centric Positioning Instead of selling “mobile ordering technology,” FanFood positioned itself to solve one high-friction pain: long, frustrating lines.
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ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) Definition Before Development Stadiums and event venues became the focus before a single feature was built — ensuring the product roadmap matched the buyer’s priorities.
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Early Feedback Loops Direct founder conversations meant the team could pivot quickly, avoiding sunk costs in features venues didn’t want.
The Consulting Takeaway: Research as a Growth Accelerator
At our agency, we see a direct link between founder-led research and faster SaaS adoption. Companies that skip it spend months — even years — fixing positioning mistakes.
If you’re building in SaaS or tech:
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Block two weeks before development to conduct structured customer interviews.
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Ask “why” five times to uncover the root cause of pain.
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Validate willingness to pay — not just theoretical interest.
Closing Thought
FanFood’s growth from a college idea to serving 300+ venues worldwide didn’t happen because they had the most advanced tech. It happened because they earned the right to build by deeply understanding their niche’s needs.
In SaaS & tech, customer research isn’t a “phase.” It’s a habit — and the founders who own it early are the ones who scale fastest.