Today, I officially concluded my research. What started as an idea and a problem I thought I understood has taken me much deeper than I initially expected. Instead of jumping straight into building, I decided to step back and actually speak with the people involved. I reached out to 130+ online vendors through WhatsApp, calls, surveys, and a few in-person conversations. I also spoke with 100+ buyers through physical conversations, surveys, and WhatsApp. That’s 230+ people. But honestly, the number isn't the most important part. What matters most is how much my perspective changed throughout the process. When you look at a problem from the outside, it can seem simple. But when you start speaking to the people experiencing it, asking questions, comparing different experiences, challenging your assumptions, and looking for patterns, you begin to realize that there is much more beneath the surface. And that was exactly what I wanted from this research. I wasn't looking for people to simply tell me, “Yes, that's a good idea.” I wanted to know: Is this actually a problem? How do people experience it? What am I missing? And most importantly, am I even looking at the problem the right way? Some conversations confirmed what I initially believed. Others challenged it. And some completely changed the way I looked at the problem. One of the biggest lessons I've taken from this is: Don't fall in love with the solution before you understand the problem. I'm coming out of this research with a much deeper understanding than I had when I started. Over the next few days, I'll share some of the lessons and realizations that came from this journey. For now, I'm simply glad I took the time to do the work instead of rushing to build. Research concluded. Now comes the interesting part. Day 4/30. #Entrepreneurship #Market Research #Building in Public #Startup #ecommerce