After running a no-code agency for the past year and a half, we've worked with dozens of founders, entrepreneurs, and business owners. Throughout these collaborations, we've observed a consistent pattern—a critical mistake that both new founders and established business owners continue to make when developing new products.

The "Solution Problem Fit" Trap

This mistake is what we call "solution problem fit"—the inverse of the well-known "problem solution fit" concept. It occurs when founders become so enamored with a solution they've conceived that they go searching for problems it might solve, rather than starting with a genuine problem.

You've likely heard of problem-solution fit: identifying a specific pain point or problem a group of people is experiencing, then developing solutions to address that pain. There's also "founder-problem fit," which happens when a founder resonates so deeply with a problem that they can't stop thinking about ways to solve it.

But solution-problem fit? That's the backward approach that leads to wasted resources and failed products.

How This Trap Manifests

Here's how this mistake typically plays out:

1. A founder wakes up with a "brilliant" idea

2. They sketch it out, perhaps on a whiteboard or in a notebook

3. They develop a solution to a problem they've imagined

4. Then they go looking for people who might have that problem

For technical founders, this often means immediately starting to build the solution. For non-technical founders, it might involve creating branding, landing pages, or hiring development teams to bring their vision to life.

In both cases, time and money are invested before validating that the problem actually exists and is significant enough that people would pay to solve it.

A Better Approach for 2025

With the AI tools available in 2025, there's a much more effective approach—one that costs nothing but your time:

1. Forget Your Solution (Temporarily)

Set aside your solution idea completely. Don't worry, you can come back to it later if it proves valuable.

2. Talk to Potential Customers

Sit down with people who might experience problems in the domain you're interested in. Have deep, meaningful conversations about their challenges.

3. Record Everything

Document these conversations—record them if possible. These recordings become invaluable data.

4. Extract Insights

Review the conversations to identify patterns, pain points, and unmet needs. What problems truly keep your potential customers up at night?

5. Leverage AI for Rapid Prototyping

Use the wealth of AI tools now available (like V0, Lovable, or Bolt) to quickly create prototypes based on the actual problems you've discovered. You can literally feed your conversation transcripts into AI tools to generate product ideas and prototypes.

6. Get Immediate Feedback

Take these prototypes back to the same customers and get their feedback. Does your solution actually address their pain points? Would they use it? Would they pay for it?

7. Iterate Rapidly

Use the feedback to refine your solution, continuing to center the actual problems your potential customers face.

Why This Works Better

The beauty of this approach is that it's:

• User-centered: You're building what people actually need

• Resource-efficient: You're not investing significant time or money until you've validated the problem

• Fast: With modern AI tools, you can prototype solutions in hours, not weeks

• Accessible: No technical expertise required

In 2025, non-technical founders have unprecedented opportunities to validate ideas quickly. You don't need a development team or coding skills—just curiosity, empathy for your users, and the right approach to product development.

Conclusion

The next time you have a brilliant product idea, resist the urge to immediately start building. Instead, put the solution aside and focus on deeply understanding the problem first. Talk to potential users, leverage AI to prototype quickly, and only then decide if your solution is worth pursuing.

Remember: Great products don't come from brilliant solutions looking for problems. They come from deeply understanding real problems and crafting solutions that genuinely solve them.

Stop building startups that solve problems you invented. Start building products that solve problems people actually have.

At Jams, we help non-technical founders navigate this process, leveraging the power of no-code tools and AI to turn real problems into successful products. Reach out to learn how we can help you avoid common pitfalls and build something people truly want.