Yesterday, we sat down with Nityesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Curated Connections, to share his experience growing from idea to MVP and the trials of early-stage product development. We’ve recapped the discussion below, and you can find the recording here on the resources tab. Identifying a Market Gap - Nityesh and his co-founder began by identifying a significant gap in the community space. As a fractional community manager, he wanted affordable tool that could automate matchmaking within communities. - Initially targeting community managers, they quickly learned that their product resonated more with solopreneurs, creators and small teams managing private communities. This pivot was key to honing in on the right market—the creators who were losing out on potential connections. - A significant part of Nityesh’s marketing strategy was his podcast, “Beginner Maps,” where he interviewed influential community builders. This helped him build his network and also provided insights directly from his target audience; shaping product development in ways traditional market research might not. It also developed a long-tail pipeline of customers as they watched the product grow - A common fear among non-technical founders is the technical demands of product development. Nityesh, who had a foundational knowledge of coding, leveraged AI tools like ChatGPT, Cursor, Ruby on Rails and TailwindCSS to self-learn and overcome technical barriers. Key Takeaways: Identify Your Niche: Start by clearly understanding what gap your idea fills. Listen closely to your target audience’s needs. Leverage Technology: Don’t let a lack of technical skills hinder your progress. Use tools and resources available to upskill and solve problems. Cut through the noise: Be open to pivoting based on customer feedback but maintain a balance with your overarching company vision. Create Connection Channels: Building relationships via podcasts or other content channels can inadvertently inform product decisions and open doors for future collaboration. Stay Adaptable: As Nityesh notes, the AI and technological landscape is rapidly evolving, making it easier than ever to develop and support products. Your initial assumption may be wrong, but pivoting is part of the process. As we continue this series, we will hear from founders like Nityesh who are currently building, how they became a founder, and normalize how each story is different, and the path to success is non-linear. If you’d like to be featured next, shoot me a DM, we’d love to highlight the founders in this community 
--- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
Jack Oliphant Justin Givens jimmy Hoareau I’m curious on your take, how do you validate whether a market gap is worth building a product around? --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
My hot take is that you need to have as many conversations as you can with different people in order to determine your ICP -- which sounds like what Nityesh did. Second, you need to determine how you will make money. 2025 is the easiest time in history to have conversations with different people -- just look at this Connect beta at HubSpot. At its simplest form, all businesses start with: who is your customer? and how do you make money? I’d also say that not all successful businesses need to have a huge TAM. If you actually enjoy the problem that you’re solving for customers, and have a few years runway (especially if you approach it as part-time while having a full-time job), I have a mentor that says, “Time equals luck.” --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
And here is a very detailed article about interviewing (potential) customers. --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
thanks for the mention Victor Becerra 
Hey Jack Oliphant – great points there! I’d build on that by saying validation should be a layered approach: 1/ Conversations & ICP Definition Absolutely agree on talking to potential customers (and even tangential markets) as early as possible. The more you clarify who you’re serving and what specific pain points you’re addressing, the clearer it becomes whether there’s real demand. 2/ Prototype & Quick Tests After gathering initial insights, I like to create a lightweight prototype or test campaign (even a simple landing page or a short pilot). This not only proves demand but also shows if anyone is willing to take the next step—such as signing up or pre-paying. 3/ Paying Customers vs. “Polite” Feedback People will often say, “I’d definitely use this,” but it’s a different story when they have to part with actual dollars. So I focus on who’s willing to pay, and how quickly. That’s a clear indicator of whether the gap is worthwhile or just “nice to have.” 4/ Market Size & Personal Fit As you said, not every successful product needs a massive market. In the end, you need enough demand to run a sustainable venture, but you also want to enjoy solving that problem. If you don’t, no TAM size will keep you motivated long-term. 5/ Iterate & Revisit If the initial test falters, I take a step back and reevaluate. Sometimes you’re on the right track but talking to the wrong customers, or you might discover an adjacent pain point that’s more pressing (and profitable). Like you mentioned, it’s never been easier to open up conversations, especially with communities like HubSpot Connect. The biggest takeaway is to keep validating each assumption. If customers keep confirming the pain, and you see paths to revenue, you’re probably on the right track to building something meaningful. Hope that helps! --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.
Thanks for sharing these insights, Jimmy! I’m interested in knowing, when you run quick tests like landing pages or pilots, what key indicators help you determine if the idea is worth scaling? --- This post was migrated from connect.com and was originally published at an earlier date.