May the ummah flourish with knowledge, compassion and unity, following the example of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. May your path be blessed with barakah, your insights continue revealing what others miss, and your work bring benefit to many. May we all rise together, reflecting his mercy and wisdom in everything we build.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Ameen.

Really well done to the folks who've been killing it with the exercises! Now for something different! This may take you longer depending on your proficiency with AI but give these 3 , (yes 3 now!) AI exercises a try before we go back into deep thinking mode! 1. Problem Verification AI tools like Perplexity can search for people actively complaining about the problem you want to solve. Or simply feed Reddit threads, forum posts, and review sites into ChatGPT. Let it extract patterns of pain. No real pain = dead idea. Select your tool of choice and ask it to research forums and other places to understand this deeply. 2. Market Size Analysis If the pain is real, check if enough people have it. Let AI analyze Google Trends, search volume, and TAM (total addressable market) data. Create detailed spreadsheets of potential users. Too small = dead idea. 3. Competitor Assessment Feed AI your top 5 competitors' websites, pricing pages, and customer reviews. Ask it to identify gaps and oversaturation. Create a map of what's missing in the market. No clear advantage = dead idea. Share the core of your findings below 👇 E.g 1: validated through Reddit posts (feel free to give more details on this exercise) 2: My research tells me my market isn't big enough, but there's an adjacent market that may be and it's X 3: Given my findings from above , I refined X about my proposition and found that no competitors can compete with us on Y and Z

Peace and blessings upon you all! The next exercise is up in the class room! This one has been a game changer for a lot of folks on this course in previous years - reframing how we think about target customers- by resonating deeply with how they see themselves, coupling this with viability, relevancy and commercialization. Let's get cracking for the next exercise - upload your exercises and comment below!

Hope inshaAllah everyone is well!!

Shoutout to the builders who have been crushing the homework! We are officially moving into the serious experimentation phase. Today, we’re talking about "Ideas"—or more accurately, why you need to stop falling in love with them. The "Idea" Trap Most founders fail because they only have Plan A. When Plan A hits a wall, they crumble. To reach Product-Market Fit, you need a backup plan in your back pocket before you even start. Exercise 4: Idea (Re)Generation is now live in the Classroom tab!!!! Why this matters: - If you have an idea: This exercise gives you a "Panic Button." If the data says your first idea is a dud, you’ll have a stack of alternatives ready so you can pivot instantly instead of quitting. - If you DON’T have an idea: You are actually in the strongest position. You are about to find problems worth solving rather than products looking for a home. The "Shock" is Coming... Soon, we’re getting into the technical weeds: ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and GTM (Go-to-Market). - If you don’t know what those mean, you’re in for a treat. - If you think you’ve mastered them, get ready for a "simple but direct shock." The PROVE framework doesn't do "theory"—we do reality. 🛠 Your Instructions: 1. Please head to the Classroom: Access Exercise 4 under phase one: People and Problems. 2. Execute: Print it, scribble on it, or recreate it on a blank sheet of paper. Step 1 is critical: Cross out the word "IDEA" and write "PROBLEM." 3. Focus on People: List the segments you belong to, used to belong to, or are passionate about. 4. Post it: Take a photo of your segment lists and hypothesized problems and upload it to the thread below. 5. Don’t skip this. Validation is useless if you don't have a backup path to your victory. Issues? If you’re hitting a wall with the exercises, the platform, or your subscription, reach out directly: malik@smbf.global. I’m here to make sure you win. Let’s see those problems. Post your worksheet below! 👇