Why you can’t afford to skip customer discovery w/ Yossuf Albanawi

We can’t always choose where we come from, but we sure can drive the bus to our chosen destination! Personal experience with a product or solution that your startup is addressing is a bonus - but as Yossuf Albanawi explains, it’s not always enough.  Personal experience paired with customer discovery, however, can be the key to not only creating a viable product but also uncovering your competitive advantage. It might be tempting to take a shortcut to avoid paying a toll, but in the long run, the quickest route between where you are now and where you want to be is a straight line. So, don’t skip customer discovery! In this episode, Yossuf sheds all pretense to bring our listeners a candid and engaging episode that highlights the power of the human spirit - and the passion that drives success.  Here are the show highlights: How firsthand experience can be the fuel that drives your startup forward. (1:53) Why product-market fit and customer discovery work hand-in-hand. (4:14) When customer discovery can open up the path to a more viable product. (6:20) Beware the pitfalls of taking shortcuts! (8:20)  4 steps to help you discover your competitive advantage. (12:17) Sometimes gut feelings and intuition have a lot to say - are you listening? (14:42) Finding the hidden value in hardship (18:40) Guest Bio Yossuf Albanawi is CEO and Co-Founder of Pilleve, a digital health company focused on improving medication safety. Personal experience drives Yossuf’s passion to find solutions for real-world problems, specifically in the areas of mental health and reducing the risk of addiction. Yossuf earned a Bachelor’s Degree and certification in Project Management from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. If you’d like to reach out to Yossuf you can follow him on LinkedIn at Yossuf Albanawi or, for more information on Pilleve and their mission, visit their website at Pilleve.com