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Ep. 109 How to Find Your Ideal Paying Customer Before You Launch
09/08/2026
Who is actually willing and able to pay for the solution your business provides?
On this DO GOOD X episode, hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis explain why identifying an ideal paying customer is essential for building a sustainable, purpose-driven business. Passion and service may inspire an idea, but founders still need evidence that a real market exists.
Kimberly and Stephen explore why faith-driven and social entrepreneurs may feel uncomfortable charging for their work, from a service-oriented mindset to imposter syndrome and doubts about their own value. They explain how greater clarity about your customer, including their age, location, values, needs, and ability to pay, can strengthen both your offer and your marketing.
The conversation walks founders through customer discovery, including creating a customer profile, asking open-ended questions, choosing interviews or surveys, reviewing feedback without defensiveness, and continuing to listen as the business grows. They also explain the difference between a prototype and a minimal viable solution, or MVS, and why an early test should cost as little as possible.
Whether you are preparing to launch or revisiting an existing offer, this episode provides practical steps to test demand, learn what customers already do to solve the problem, and build something people will pay for.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
✅ Why an ideal customer must also be an ideal paying customer
✅ How to conduct customer discovery through interviews, surveys, and open-ended questions
✅ The difference between a prototype and a minimal viable solution, or MVS
✅ How to test a business idea at minimal cost before making a major investment
Join the DO GOOD X Community to access resources, connect with purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and grow an impactful business with intention.
In This Episode
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 How to Find Your Ideal Paying Customer Before You Launch
00:37 Meet hosts Kimberly Daniel and Stephen Lewis
01:06 Why loving an idea does not prove there is a market
02:26 Defining your ideal paying customer
06:15 Why purpose-driven founders may struggle to charge
08:42 Imposter syndrome, personal value, and pricing
09:52 The customer discovery process
13:37 How many potential customers should you talk to?
17:01 How customer feedback helped Arbro House refine its brand
17:57 Ongoing customer discovery, prototypes, and minimal viable solutions
22:12 How much should you spend on an MVS?
23:40 Two actions every founder should take next
Key Takeaways
KEY TAKEAWAYS
💎 A sustainable business needs customers who value the solution, are willing to pay for it, and can afford it.
💎Customer discovery helps founders replace assumptions with real evidence about customer needs, behaviors, and spending.
💎A prototype shows what an idea could become, while an MVS lets customers experience and test a small-scale version of the solution.
💎Customer discovery is ongoing. Successful businesses continue listening, learning, and refining long after launch.
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, it is her commitment to produce effective processes and create authentic, “sticky” brands that are community-centered.
In addition, Kimberly has nearly 10 years of experience as a certified life coach and has facilitated workshops, spoken to communities, and written about innovation and entrepreneurship centered on social impact. She is co-author of A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
In any aspect of her work, she is deeply passionate about purpose, meaning, and the common good.
Social Media to Connect:
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X, a start-up accelerator for diverse Christian social entrepreneurs. He is an organizational change strategist and a leadership development specialist, focused on inspiring the next generation of faith-inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose. Stephen is the co-author of Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).
Social Media to Connect: