????️‍♂️ The Sherlock Holmes Method For Ai Startups

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“You see, but you do not observe.” — Sherlock Holmes

You’re a dev with AI superpowers. APIs, embeddings, fine-tuning, RAG, langchains — all loaded in your toolkit.

But despite all that, something’s not working.

You build. You launch.
Silence. Not even Moriarty would click your link.

The crime?
Murdered attention. Killed before your product had a chance.

Today, let’s solve the mystery — Sherlock style. ????????️‍♀️

???? Case #001: The Startup That Solved Nothing

Most AI startups start like this:

1. Watch AI video on YouTube
2. Think: “Omg I can build that!”
3. Spin up a Next.js app
4. Launch a product that’s technically impressive
5. Watch tumbleweeds roll across your dashboard

???? Clue #1: No one was looking for this solution.

Most devs see cool tools and try to replicate them, not realizing:

Great startups don’t begin with tools. They begin with tension.

Your job isn’t to build — your job is to investigate.

???? Rule #1: Find the Hair-on-Fire Problem

Holmes didn’t walk around offering “AI summarizers” to people on the street.

He looked for urgency. Specificity. Emotional stakes.

In startup terms:
Don’t solve “content creation.” Solve “I’m a real estate agent with 48 emails and 2 hours before showings.”

???? Action:

• Go to local business websites. Bad ones.
• Imagine what would make them scream in relief: “YES! I NEED THIS!”
• That’s your crime scene.

???? Rule #2: Start at the Search Engine, Not the Terminal

Before writing code, write a Google search:

“AI appointment tool for massage clinics in Austin”

If no one’s searching, you might be too early. Or worse: irrelevant.

But if you find these golden queries with low competition and high intent, you’ve struck startup gold.

???? Bonus tip: You don’t need 10 blog posts to rank.
One page. The right keywords. Focused copy.

(For those who want the cheat codes: here’s a shortcut. But we’ll keep our trench coat on for now.)

????️ Rule #3: Use AI to Build for the Boring

Everyone wants to build “AI for creators.”

No one’s building “AI for roofing companies in Tulsa.”

Guess which one pays?

The riches aren’t in the niches. They’re in the boring, high-friction workflows that AI can automate.

Some suspects to interrogate:

• Law firms that still manually draft follow-up emails
• Physical therapy clinics with no digital intake
• Dentists that get ghosted on appointment confirmations
• Local contractors who forget to follow up on leads

Build AI for those.

???? Rule #4: MVP Means “Minimal Viable Page”

Your MVP is not a backend.
It’s a landing page.

If you can’t get someone to click, scroll, and say “yes” on a single page — don’t write a single function.

Think of it like this:

???? If you can't explain the murder motive in one paragraph, you're not solving the right case.

???? Rule #5: Collect Evidence (aka Leads)

Put a simple form:

“Get early access — we’re building this for 10 handpicked businesses.”

If someone fills that out, follow up immediately. Not with a bot. With you.

Ask questions. Iterate. Don’t fall in love with your first theory. You’re still solving the case.

???? Rule #6: Market Like a Detective, Not a Magician

Don’t disappear into code for 6 weeks and return hoping people notice.

Document the clues as you go:

• Tweet when you find your niche
• Post about interviews with local business owners
• Share “before/after” ideas of how their workflow could look with your AI

People love following a case. Invite them in.

???? TL;DR: The Holmes Framework for AI Devs

1. Investigate, don’t assume. Start with a real-world tension.
2. Use local SEO like a magnifying glass. Follow search intent.
3. Build boring tools that print money. AI + niche = leverage.
4. One page before one feature. Prove value fast.
5. Validate like a detective. Collect leads, not likes.
6. Show your work. Build trust by building in public.

???? Final Clue: People Pay for Relief, Not Demos

If your AI product feels like a cool science fair project, it won’t sell.

But if it solves a sharp pain — especially for overlooked, local niches — you can charge real money.

Be the dev who observes, not just sees.

????????????????????????????
Now go solve something real.

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