Everywhere you look, someone’s promising you can build an app in 30 minutes.
Or two days. Or zippity-quick! Sounds exciting—especially if you’re a non-technical entrepreneur.
Yes, now building is easier than ever. BUT… Here’s the catch:
Building something people will pay for? 👉🏻 That’s the real challenge.
Building something people will pay for? 👉🏻 That’s the real challenge.
Yes, you’ve got tools that didn’t exist a decade ago:
✅ AI accelerates development
✅ No-code tools remove technical roadblocks
✅ Low-code platforms can help you launch in days
But most “apps” that I’ve seen people build in 2 days? They’re usually… well, useless.
If your goal is to build a real business, jumping straight from idea to build is a critical mistake.
Why Most Founders Get This Wrong
For those familiar with the TechSpeak 10-step process, writing code is STEP #8!
The first 7 steps?
The first 7 steps REMOVE the guesswork, ensuring you actually deliver value—the one thing that separates successful products from ones that just end up wasting time and money.
Because nothing feels worse than…
🚫 Building a product no one buys
🚫 Solving a problem that wasn’t worth solving
🚫 Investing in the wrong features, wrong tech, or wrong customers
👆🏻 This is like shooting arrows at a target with blinders on. It’s a big bet. High risk. And very expensive.
The Smarter Way
Want to avoid these mistakes? Here’s the TL;DR of how you should actually approach building:
STEP 1
VALIDATE & REFINE YOUR IDEAS & IDENTIFY BEST PAYING CUSTOMERS
Goal: Understand the DEMAND for each specific feature or functionality of your product. Ask yourself:
Do I clearly understand the problem?
For whom is this problem urgent enough that they will pay with either time and/or money to solve this problem.
What is the business model?
STEP 2
BUILD & TEST WITH A CLICKABLE PROTOTYPE
Goal: Before writing a single line of code, validate that your solution actually resonates with users. I also encourage my students to pre-sell their solutions in this step.
- Do I clearly understand the problem?
- For whom is this problem urgent enough that they will pay with either time and/or money to solve this problem.
- What is the business model?
STEPS 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
PLAN & PREPARE FOR DEVELOPMENT
Goal: Strategically plan the best way to build your Minimal Viable Product or Feature (MVP) based on your time and cost constraints.
To set your business up for future success, you’ll need to discuss and make smart trade-offs around:
- What’s the minimum feature set to prove value?
- What’s the best mix of no-code, AI, third-party tools, and custom development?
- Who (if anyone) do I need to hire?
- What KPIs will track success?
Most startups fail because they skip this step and build too much, too soon.
STEPS 8, 9
DEVELOP AND DEPLOY THE MVP
FINALLY. This is where you build.
And because you’ve done the groundwork, you’re not guessing or risk wasting time and money re-building.
You’re executing a validated and strategic plan.
STEP 10
USE DATA TO IMPROVE AND SCALE
FINALLY. This is where you build.
With real users using your product, now you can:
✅ Track what features actually drive engagement
✅ Cut what’s not working
✅ Invest in what moves the needleBottom Line: Don't Skip the First 7 Steps
Play around with AI and no-code tools to learn what’s possible. But don’t fall into the trap of "building just to build."
If you want to create something people will actually pay for—with their time or money (ideally both)—you have to validate and strategically plan before you build.
✍️ Reflect on your current situation and let me know Which step are you currently on?
Did you know that 90% of startups fail — and for non-technical founders, the failure rate is even higher? Many spend tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars trying to build tech products, only to get scammed by developers, experience endless delays, or end up with a product that doesn’t work.
I’ve spoken with thousands of entrepreneurs who have faced devastating losses:
- "I had two dev shops take my money without delivering."
- "I went through two CTOs before finding the right one."
- "I wasn't a great tech leader (or a leader at all) and had to get tech leadership coaching."
- understand the entire technical process
- help companies recognize red flags early
- minimize technology mistakes and
- cut their product development costs by as much as 50%.
TechSpeak was an incredible experience. I've done a 4 month accelerator course before, but 80% of the things I was taught, I was learning for the first time.
Sabrina Noorani
Founder of ClearForMe
