startup-problem-ledger

Startup Problem Ledger

When to use

Use when the user notices an annoyance, repeated manual task, customer complaint, internal workflow issue, market inefficiency, product idea, or asks whether something could be a business.

Do not start by designing the product. First log the observation, sharpen the problem, and check whether it is startup-shaped.

Core rule

Keep the user anchored on the pain, the person feeling it, the moment it happens, the workaround, and the cost. Avoid turning every frustration into a SaaS idea by default.

Workflow

1. Capture the raw observation in the user's words.
2. Fill the problem ledger using only known information.
3. Mark unknowns as Unknown, not guessed facts.
4. Sharpen the vague pain into one or more specific problem statements.
5. Screen for whether the problem is painful, specific, timely, underserved, founder-fit, and expandable.
6. Ask only the highest-value missing questions first. Prefer 3–5 questions, not a giant form.
7. Decide whether the entry is Startup-shaped, Unclear, or Probably not.
8. Suggest the next validation step, not a product roadmap.
9. Produce or update the shared evidence packet so later skills inherit the same facts, unknowns, and decision gate.

Problem ledger

Use this format:

Raw observation:
Context:
Who experienced it:
Where/when it happened:
Problem:
User/persona:
Job they are trying to do:
Obstacle:
Current workaround:
Cost of doing nothing:
Frequency:
Emotional intensity:
Potential buyer:
Existing tools/alternatives:
Why now:
Founder advantage:
Distribution route:
Expansion path:
Could I reach 10 users:
Could I build v1 in 2–4 weeks:
Startup-shaped: yes/no/unclear
Next validation step:

Opportunity screen

Check these properties before calling something startup-shaped:

Painful: expensive, frequent, embarrassing, risky, or intensely annoying.
Specific: exact customer and exact situation are nameable.
Timely: a recent change makes solving it newly possible or urgent.
Underserved: alternatives are absent, bloated, expensive, slow, or misaligned.
Founder-fit: the founder has relevant skill, access, credibility, or obsession.
Expandable: the first niche can grow into adjacent workflows, budgets, or markets.