Validating via services before building a $27k MRR product
by James Fleischmann (featuring Romàn Czerny)
TL;DR: Czerny's approach inverts typical product-first thinking. After selling CocoAI, he noticed that e-commerce founders actively engaging on LinkedIn converted better as customers. Rather than immediately building Gojiberry AI, he spent months manually performing the service with virtual assistants, validating that customers would pay for intent-based LinkedIn prospecting. Growth came from layering multiple channels consistently: LinkedIn content, Reddit community engagement, cold email, influencer partnerships, and public building. The key insight was narrowing the ICP to users who genuinely valued intent-based outreach, and positioning around outcomes (meetings) rather than features.
Key Insights
- Validate demand by manually performing the service before building the product
- Layer multiple distribution channels for compounding effect
- Previous exit experience reveals market insights for next venture
- Narrow ICP focus accelerates growth more than serving multiple profiles
- Position around outcomes (meetings booked) not features (dashboards)
Actionable Takeaways
- Before building, offer the service manually to prove people will pay
- Use virtual assistants to scale manual validation affordably
- Show up consistently across multiple channels rather than betting on one
- Focus on users who genuinely value your core offering
- Emphasize business outcomes in positioning over technical features
Principles Validated (5)
Combine content marketing with direct outreach on professional platforms
Romàn Czerny (Gojiberry AI)
Use content marketing and SEO to build organic acquisition channels
Romàn Czerny (Gojiberry AI)
Intentional engagement builds community: thoughtful comments, DM replies, become active member
Romàn Czerny (Gojiberry AI)