I've worked on a number of companies in various capacity in the past so this time around was much more natural. It's both an art and a science, but the most TLDR way I can put it is the following:

- Thorough understanding of the problem space and niche - Founder-led sales to vet customer segments and gain insights into pain points. Figure out what they'd pay for and sell them the thing. - Have the ability to take the feedback and iterate on the product rapidly.

Rinse and repeat :)