I built an AI jewelry photo tool for Indian jewellers with ₹0 budget — 0 customers, building in public

Hi IH! I'm Suhail from Saharanpur, India. Building JewelViz an AI tool that helps small Indian jewellers create professional jewelry photos without expensive photoshoots.

The Problem I'm Solving:

Indian jewellers spend ₹15,000–₹50,000 on photoshoots just to list products online. They need to hire a model, book a studio, wait 3-7 days for results. Most small jewellers can't afford this.

What JewelViz Does:

Upload one mobile photo → choose Indian model + cultural setting → get 3 professional showcase images in 60 seconds. Starting at ₹100.

Current Honest Status:

— Product is live ✅

— Payments integrated ✅

— 0 paying customers ❌

— Zero budget ❌

— Solo founder, no team ❌

My Biggest Challenge:

Getting first paying customer. I have no marketing budget. Trying Facebook groups, Instagram DMs, LinkedIn, and IH.

What I've Learned So Far:

Build first, validate later — big mistake. Should have talked to customers before building.

Would love advice from anyone who has sold tools to small offline businesses in India. How did you get your first customer with zero budget?