Milena Petrova

We re all builders here, which usually means at some point we looked at something clunky, slow, or frustrating and thought, there has to be a better way. Most products don t start with a grand vision; they start with irritation, curiosity, or firsthand pain.

I d love to learn more about how others here have navigated that journey:

How did you uncover the problem you decided to work on?
What signals told you this problem was worth solving?
How did you validate (if at all) whether people would actually pay for a solution?
Has your product stayed true to the original problem, or did it evolve into something different?
What surprised you the most along the way?

Many people have told me that being part of Gen Z comes with advantages we have time, energy, and plenty of opportunities to shape our careers in the AI era. And I do feel lucky to have grown up with technology, to have had early exposure and opportunities to learn and explore it.

But the AI era feels different. The shift is not only new, it s happening at lightning speed. Before I ve even fully adapted to working with AI, we re already seeing waves of layoffs where human roles are being replaced or reshaped by AI systems. And honestly, that creates uncertainty and anxiety not just for me, but for many people around us.

There are countless products and services out there, and I ll admit I sign up for more than I probably should. But I usually stop using them for a few common reasons:

1. It doesn t actually fit my needs

2. The company feels unreliable or opaque

3. The value doesn t justify the cost

After spending my career in enterprise software, I ve noticed that many of these issues aren t just product problems, they re relationship problems.

When companies show a bit of intention, clarity, and care, trust goes up. When they don t, everything feels disposable, even good tools.