Building a product is hard. Finding product-market fit is harder. Here's the story of how we built SignalFinder and the lessons we learned along the way.
The Problem
It started with frustration. As sales professionals, we were spending hours every day on manual prospecting:
- Scrolling through job boards
- Reading funding announcements
- Researching companies
- Finding contacts
- Writing personalized emails
We knew there had to be a better way. But every tool we tried made things worse, not better. They were either too generic, too expensive, or too complicated.
The Idea
What if we could automate the research part of prospecting? What if we could:
- Monitor buying signals automatically
- Enrich prospect data instantly
- Generate personalized outreach at scale
- Focus on relationships, not research
That was the idea behind SignalFinder.
Building the MVP
We started with a simple question: "What's the minimum we need to prove this works?"
Week 1-2: Manual Process
Before building anything, we manually did what we wanted to automate:
- Monitored 10 funding databases
- Checked 5 job boards daily
- Researched 20 companies per day
- Wrote personalized emails
Result: We booked 3 meetings from signals we found manually. The concept worked.
Week 3-4: First Prototype
We built a simple script that:
- Scraped funding announcements
- Matched them to our ICP
- Generated basic email drafts
Result: It saved us 2 hours per day. We knew we were onto something.
Week 5-8: Beta Version
We added:
- Job posting monitoring
- Basic enrichment
- Email templates
- Simple dashboard
Result: We used it ourselves and closed 2 deals we wouldn't have found otherwise.
Finding Early Customers
With a working prototype, we needed to find customers. But we didn't have a marketing team or budget. So we did what we knew best: we sold.
The Approach
- Use our own product - We used SignalFinder to find prospects
- Share our story - We talked about the problem we were solving
- Offer early access - We gave free access in exchange for feedback
- Iterate quickly - We fixed issues within days, not weeks
The Results
- Month 1: 5 beta customers
- Month 2: 15 beta customers
- Month 3: 30 beta customers
- Month 4: 50 beta customers
Each customer gave us feedback. Each piece of feedback made the product better.
Key Learnings
1. Start with the Problem, Not the Solution
We didn't start by building features. We started by understanding the problem. This kept us focused on what actually mattered.
2. Use Your Own Product
We were our own first customer. This meant we felt the pain points immediately and could fix them quickly.
3. Talk to Customers Constantly
We talked to every customer. Weekly check-ins, feature requests, bug reports—we listened to everything.
4. Ship Fast, Iterate Faster
We shipped features weekly, sometimes daily. Not everything worked, but we learned quickly.
5. Focus on One Thing
We didn't try to build everything at once. We focused on signal detection first, then enrichment, then outreach.
The Pivot
After 3 months, we realized something: our customers weren't just using SignalFinder for signal detection. They were using it as their entire prospecting workflow.
So we pivoted. Instead of just a signal detection tool, we became a complete prospecting platform:
- Signal detection
- Prospect enrichment
- Outreach automation
- CRM integration
This pivot doubled our customer satisfaction and retention.
Reaching 100 Customers
By month 6, we had 100 paying customers. Here's what got us there:
Word of Mouth
Our best customers became our best marketers. They told their networks, and those networks signed up.
Content Marketing
We started writing about what we learned:
- Buying signals
- Outreach best practices
- Sales process optimization
This brought in prospects who were already interested in what we were building.
Product-Led Growth
The product itself became our best sales tool. Prospects could see value immediately, which made selling easier.
What We Learned About Product-Market Fit
Product-market fit isn't a destination—it's a journey. Here's what we learned:
1. It's Not About Features
We thought we needed more features. We were wrong. We needed the right features, done well.
2. Speed Matters
Moving fast let us learn quickly. Every week we shipped something new, we learned something new.
3. Customers Are Your Best Teachers
Every customer conversation taught us something. We just had to listen.
4. Focus Beats Features
Doing one thing really well beats doing many things poorly.
5. Metrics Tell the Story
We tracked everything:
- Daily active users
- Feature usage
- Customer satisfaction
- Churn rate
The numbers told us what was working and what wasn't.
Where We Are Now
Today, SignalFinder helps hundreds of sales teams:
- Find qualified prospects faster
- Personalize outreach at scale
- Close more deals
But we're just getting started. We're still learning, still iterating, still improving.
What's Next
Our journey continues. We're working on:
- Better AI for personalization
- More signal sources
- Deeper integrations
- Advanced analytics
But the core mission remains the same: help sales teams find and reach the right buyers at the right time.
Advice for Other Founders
If you're building a product, here's our advice:
- Start with the problem - Understand it deeply
- Use your own product - Be your first customer
- Talk to customers - Constantly
- Ship fast - Learn quickly
- Focus - Do one thing well
- Measure - Track what matters
- Iterate - Never stop improving
Building a product is hard. Finding product-market fit is harder. But it's possible. We're proof of that.
Want to join us on this journey? Join the SignalFinder waitlist to be among the first to experience what we're building.