Ep. 52 The Mixtape: Customer Discovery & Prototyping – Foundational Moves for Future Founders
5/13/25
Are you an entrepreneur hoping to address true community needs with aligned products and services? Or maybe you’ve launched your business, but are running into unforeseen issues? Today’s episode of the DO GOOD X podcast offers insights for entrepreneurs at all stages. This mashup episode combines highlights from season one, focusing on building thriving businesses and defining problems. They discuss three key factors for entrepreneurial success: addressing genuine needs, having industry knowledge, and being adaptable. Kimberly and Stephen provide practical steps for clarifying business problems, positioning, and impact. They emphasize the importance of research, understanding systemic contexts, and identifying ideal paying customers. The episode concludes with advice on prototyping and testing business ideas, encouraging listeners to take action and avoid getting stuck in the planning phase. No matter the stage of your business, this episode is packed with insight and resources to best align your business with your goals.
In This Episode
- (00:00) Intro: Meet Kimberly R. Daniel and Stephen Lewis
- (03:28) Mindset for growing and scaling a business
- (05:02) Addressing problems through your business
- (07:07) Researching and validating business ideas
- (10:22) Focusing your business and finding partnerships
- (12:43) Top question: How to start a business
- (14:16) Identifying your ideal paying customer
- (15:59) Building and testing a prototype
- (17:40) Outro: Closing remarks and resources
Key Takeaways
- Addressing True Community Needs: Aligning business products and services with genuine community needs or desires is crucial for creating a sustainable and impactful business.
- Knowledge and Agility: Having industry knowledge or a knowledgeable team is a must. Your business and team must also must have the ability to pivot, especially in response to market changes, as seen during the pandemic and in the years following.
- Mindset and Growth: A "no-excuse mentality" is essential for business growth. Entrepreneurs should balance hard work with self-care and actively seek feedback to overcome obstacles and scale their businesses.
- Problem Identification and Research: Clearly define the problems a business aims to solve. Then, focus on thorough research and customer discovery to validate assumptions and ensure the business addresses a real need.
About The Hosts
Kimberly R. Daniel
Kimberly R. Daniel catalyzes entrepreneurs and organizations to do good. She is co-founder and project director of DO GOOD X, a community that provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change. Kimberly also helps purpose-driven organizations clarify and design compelling brand and communication strategies.
With over 15 years of experience developing and leading communications efforts, she is committed to producing effective processes and creating authentic, “sticky” brands that are community-centered. In addition, Kimberly has nearly ten years of experience as a certified life coach. She has facilitated workshops, spoken to communities, and written about innovation and entrepreneurship centered on social impact. She co-authored A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
She is deeply passionate about purpose, meaning, and the common good in any aspect of her work.
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Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and the creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X. This community provides programs and support for faith-driven social entrepreneurs whose businesses focus on positive change.
He is an organizational change strategies and leadership development specialist focused on inspiring the next generation of faith-inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work purposefully. Stephen co-authors Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
Social Media to Connect: