I started RestBackup, a backup service for small business databases. I coded 6 months before talking to customers. When I finally talked with them, I learned

I started RestBackup, a backup service for small business databases. I coded 6 months before talking to customers. When I finally talked with them, I learned that I built mostly the wrong thing. I spent half a year changing my product to fit their needs. I could have saved about 6 months by talking with people first. Then I used the wrong sales strategy. I focused on cold emailing, snail mail, and cold calling, which was demoralizing. The pressure of impending failure was too much. I lost nearly all motivation and productivity. After another half year, I ran out of money and gave up. I could have succeeded at sales by consulting with an experienced salesperson in the industry. They would have told me to find out how my target customers buy products like mine: they buy whatever their local IT services company recommends. Then I would have focused my sales effort on the local IT services companies and probably gotten enough sales to take off. Now it's 5 years later and I'm trying again, with a new business. Wish me luck! :) TLDR: 1. Talk to potential customers before building anything. 2. When stuck, seek advice from experienced people.