# Startup Founder Problem Framing

> Frame a startup idea through customer empathy, JTBD, urgency, current alternatives, and the shortest path to user value.

- Skill: `contextgo/startup-founder-problem-framing` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add contextgo/startup-founder-problem-framing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/contextgo/startup-founder-problem-framing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: contextgo (https://skillmd.com/u/contextgo)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/contextgo/startup-founder-problem-framing

---


# Startup Founder Problem Framing

Use this skill when the startup still sounds like a belief, a feature wish, or a vague market opportunity.

## Use when

- A founder has an idea but the problem is not yet sharp.
- The user keeps describing features instead of customer pain.
- The segment, job to be done, or urgency is still unclear.
- You need to understand the fastest path to an "aha" moment.

## Do not use when

- The customer problem is already well evidenced and crisply defined.
- The task is a late-stage execution question.
- The user only wants a polished summary of previously validated strategy.

## Founder-stage framing failures to avoid

- projecting founder enthusiasm onto users
- defining the market before defining the problem
- treating "nice to have" friction as urgent pain
- assuming everyone with the problem is the first target segment
- skipping the current alternative because it seems boring

## Workflow

### 1. Define the customer in context

Clarify:

- who is feeling the problem
- what role or situation they are in
- what trigger makes the problem active now

### 2. State the job to be done

Name:

- the functional job
- the emotional job
- the success condition from the user's perspective

### 3. Map the current reality

Capture:

- what the user does today
- where friction, delay, cost, or anxiety comes from
- what they tolerate because existing alternatives are "good enough"

### 4. Test urgency and frequency

Ask:

- how often the problem happens
- how painful the failure is
- what makes the timing credible right now

If the pain is weak or infrequent, say so directly.

### 5. Define the shortest path to value

Articulate:

- the likely "aha" moment
- the minimum action the user must take
- what friction blocks them before reaching value

### 6. Separate facts from assumptions

End by labeling:

- what is grounded in evidence
- what is inferred
- what still needs validation

## Output format

Return:

### 1. Target user in context

- who they are
- what situation activates the problem

### 2. Core job to be done

- functional job
- emotional or social dimension
- success definition

### 3. Current alternatives and friction

- what they use today
- why it is not good enough

### 4. Problem severity readout

- urgency
- frequency
- why now

### 5. Fastest path to value

- likely aha moment
- key friction to remove first

### 6. Evidence and assumptions

- grounded facts
- weak assumptions
- next validation questions

## Use together with

- `startup-ideal-customer-profile`
- `startup-value-proposition`
- `startup-strategic-diagnosis`