Every founder thinks they know what their customer wants — until they actually ask. In this episode of Proof of Possible, host Margaret Weniger sits down with Melissa Heffner, Associate Director at Georgia Tech's VentureLab, who has coached over 1,000 startups through the customer discovery process.

Melissa breaks down why customer discovery isn't the same as sales, how to figure out what someone will actually pay before you ever ask them directly, and why “neutral” is the worst reaction you can get from a potential customer. She and Margaret cover how to build a project thesis and testable hypotheses before your first conversation, how many questions you actually need (hint: fewer than you think), why she discourages recording interviews or paying people to talk to you, and creative ways to find people to talk to — from LinkedIn network hacks to loitering in trade show hotel lobbies.

Whether you're a first-time founder or already deep into building, this conversation offers a practical, no-fluff framework for getting out of the building and finding out if what you're building is something people actually want.

What you'll learn:

• Why customer discovery has to happen before sales conversations, not alongside them
• How to gauge pricing without directly asking “what would you pay?”
• A practical channel strategy for finding people to interview (and why you should expect to send ~30 outreach messages per 3 real conversations)
• How to build a project thesis and hypotheses so your interviews have direction
• Why fewer, open-ended questions beat a rigid script
• The single biggest red flag in a customer conversation
• How to know when you've learned enough to start building
  
  Episode Timestamps:
  01:39 Why customer discovery matters, even when you already believe in your idea

  03:00 Breaking discovery into a manageable first step instead of a huge, scary task

  04:01 Why reports and secondary research aren't a substitute for talking to people

  05:18 Customer discovery vs. sales discovery — why founders shouldn't skip to selling

  07:03 How to figure out pricing before you ever ask “what would you pay?”

  08:17 Does the process change for B2C vs. B2B vs. B2B2C? (Short answer: not much)

  09:03 Best channels for reaching people — surveys, soft intros, LinkedIn, cold email, and the “send 30” rule

  12:42 How to approach strangers “in the wild” without being weird about it

  14:24 Building a project thesis and hypotheses before you start interviewing anyone

  17:38 How many questions to actually bring into an interview

  21:03 Getting practice reps in before you burn a real customer conversation

  22:53 How your questions should evolve as you learn more

  24:42 Should you record interviews? Why Melissa says no

  26:28 Is it OK to pay people (e.g. gift cards) to talk to you?

  27:48 Other ways to find people to talk to: trade shows, conferences, hotel lobbies

  30:04 The LinkedIn network hack for getting warm introductions

  33:50 How you know it's finally time to start building

  35:58 Making the transition from discovery conversations to sales conversations

  37:08 Rapid-fire round

  
  Follow CREATE-X:

  Instagram → @gtcreatex

  LinkedIn → www.linkedin.com/company/create-x/

  YouTube → @create-xatgeorgiatech4110

In this episode of Proof of Possible, Margaret Weniger sits down with Seth Radman, a four-time founder, startup coach, CREATE-X alum, and two-time successful exit founder, to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing early-stage entrepreneurs: knowing what to build, when to pivot, and when to stay the course.

Seth shares lessons from building dozens of products and running countless experiments, including his journey from Georgia Tech student and first-time founder to repeat entrepreneur. He explains how to use MVPs and rapid experiments to test assumptions, de-risk decisions, interpret customer feedback, and avoid spending months building something nobody wants.

From knowing when to "grit or quit" to finding your first five customers, Seth offers a practical framework for turning uncertainty into learning—and learning into action.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to know when to build, pivot, or quit — Learn how Seth evaluates whether to stay the course, change direction, or walk away from an idea.
• Why your MVP should be an experiment, not a finished product — Discover how to test your biggest assumptions without spending months building something that may not work.
• How to design faster, smarter experiments — Learn Seth's approach to identifying the single most important unknown and finding the fastest way to get meaningful evidence.
• How to use customer feedback without simply building what customers ask for — Understand how to dig beneath what customers say they want to uncover the problem they're actually experiencing.
• How to overcome the fear of launching too early — Learn why emotional attachment and fear of failure can lead founders to overbuild—and practical ways to separate your identity from the outcome.
• How to find your first customers — Hear Seth's unconventional approach to getting those first users, from cold calls and flyers to simply starting with the people already in your community.
• Why early-stage startups should focus on learning, not proving they're right — Explore Seth's philosophy that startups are "experiment factories" and that even a failed experiment can be a win if it produces valuable insight.
  

Episode Timestamps:

05:12 Understanding the Zero to One Stage

09:28 Knowing When to Grit and When to Quit

12:17 Leveraging Learnings During Pivots

16:13 De-risking Decisions in Startups

21:40 Overcoming MVP Pushbacks and Launching Quickly

25:08 The Importance of Patience in Startups

26:17 Defining What to Learn from MVPs

29:55 Customer Feedback: Listening vs. Acting

41:38 The Art of Failing Well

42:12 Determining Success: User Metrics

44:52 Getting Your First Customers

48:06 Taking Action: The First Step

Follow CREATE-X:

Instagram → @gtcreatex

LinkedIn → www.linkedin.com/company/create-x/

YouTube → @create-xatgeorgiatech4110

Welcome to Proof of Possible, the podcast from CREATE-X at Georgia Tech.

In this special trailer episode, you'll get a glimpse into the founders, stories, and conversations ahead. Hear why CREATE-X believes entrepreneurship is for anyone willing to take the leap—and preview insights from founders and experts who have navigated the challenges of building something from the ground up.

Whether you're exploring an idea, building your first startup, or growing your next venture, this is your invitation to join us and discover what's possible.