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Dated archive / Max Ek

From problem to prototype to proof

The Alture approach to building new ventures.

Dated archive · Max Ek · . Original content, reflecting the time it was written.

Every business starts with a problem.

Not a solution. Not a product. Not a pitch deck.

A problem that someone - maybe you - feels deeply enough to pay money to solve.

This is how we build at Alture.

Stage 1: Problem

Before we write a single line of code, we ask:

  • Who has this problem? Be specific. "People" is not an answer.
  • How painful is it? Are they actively looking for a solution, or is it a mild inconvenience?
  • What are they doing today? Every problem has a workaround. Understanding it tells you what you're competing with.

If the answer to any of these is fuzzy, we don't build. We talk to more people.

Stage 2: Prototype

Once we're confident the problem is real, we build the smallest thing that could possibly solve it.

Not the full vision. Not the scalable platform. The minimum viable version that proves the concept.

What a good prototype looks like:

  • Fast: Built in days, not months.
  • Ugly: UI doesn't matter yet. Solving the problem matters.
  • Manual: If you can fake the backend with a spreadsheet and email, do it.
  • Narrow: It solves the problem for one specific person, not everyone.

The goal is to get feedback, not to ship a product.

Stage 3: Proof

Now we test. Can we:

  • Get 10 people to use it?
  • Get 3 people to pay for it?
  • Hear them describe the value in their own words?

If yes, we have proof. The problem is real, the solution works, and there's a path to a business.

If no, we kill it or pivot. Fast.

Why this works

Most startups fail because they skip straight to building. They spend months on a product no one wants.

This process forces you to de-risk at each stage:

  1. Problem: Are we solving something real?
  2. Prototype: Can we solve it?
  3. Proof: Will people pay for it?

Each stage is cheap. Each stage is fast. Each stage has a clear yes/no decision point.

Examples from Alture

  • Castwise: Started with "How do people learn from podcasts today?" Prototype was a manual weekly email. Proof came when open rates hit 60% and people asked to pay.

The discipline

The hard part isn't building. It's stopping yourself from building too early.

Most founders are builders. We want to code. We want to design. We want to ship.

But the best thing you can do is talk to 20 people before you write a single line.

Because if you build the wrong thing, speed doesn't matter.

What problem are you solving? Can you describe it in one sentence, for one specific person?

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