🎧 New Episode: The Startup Growth Podcast — The Founder Journey, Startup Surprises, and Takeaways for Every Founder w/ Stephen Llevano

Hey There,

The newest episode of The Startup Growth Podcast is live!

Listen to the episode here.

I sat down with Stephen Llevano, Founder & CEO of Capabuild, who jokingly calls himself "a very reluctant entrepreneur" after spending a decade in private equity, real estate, and banking before deciding "I don't want to leave this earth without ever saying I gave it a shot."

Stephen discovered something that completely changed how he thinks about customer research: "I fundamentally disagree with 'listen to your customers, they'll tell you what they want.' I think it should be more acutely said, watch your customers. They'll show you what they want."

This insight transformed his initial monthly pricing strategy (which he admits was "totally wrong") into Capabuild, software that helps restoration contractors create estimates within 24 hours using AI.

Stephen's approach was methodical—he called hundreds of contractors and flew out to meet with half a dozen across the country. He found contractors in industrial parks about an hour outside major cities, observing how they work in challenging conditions like standing in flood water while documenting damage.

His advice cuts to the heart of entrepreneurial sustainability: choose customers you genuinely care about, because that connection fuels the dedication needed.

The insights he gained by watching contractors work in real environments rather than just asking questions became the foundation for solving the disconnect between field crews and administrative staff.

Key takeaways:

• Stop listening to what customers say they want—watch what they actually do in their natural environment

• Pricing strategies built on startup playbooks crumble when they meet real customer behavior

• Building anything meaningful takes three times longer emotionally than your brain can possibly prepare for

• Industry shifts don't just create problems—they create massive opportunities for businesses that move first

• Personal relationships crush cold outreach every single time, especially in overlooked industries

• Surface-level market research gets you surface-level solutions that nobody actually needs

• Operational efficiency isn't just nice to have—it's what separates thriving businesses from barely surviving ones

• Local service businesses build stronger communities than venture-backed marketplaces ever will

• Every spectacular failure contains the seeds of your next breakthrough, but only if you're paying attention

• The gap between what customers request and what they desperately need is where fortunes are made

I hope you find this educational content valuable and can apply it in your business.

David J Phillips

Founder & CEO at Fondo

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