Jewelviz

I'm Suhail, building JewelViz from Saharanpur, India.

0 paying customers. Zero budget. Solo founder.

But this week I learned something that I think every founder here building for offline or non-tech customers needs to hear.

Stop looking for your customers where YOU are.

I was posting on Reddit, IndieHackers, LinkedIn — because I'm here. But my customers? Small jewellers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities? They are nowhere near these platforms.

They are in WhatsApp groups.

They are in Facebook groups asking "koi photographer hai kya?"

They are searching on YouTube "jewelry photo kaise le"

That's where the pain is being expressed loudly and publicly.

And that's where the sale actually starts.

3 things I'd tell any founder targeting offline businesses in India:

1. Find where they complain — not where they browse

Your customer is not reading Product Hunt. They are complaining in a niche Facebook group or WhatsApp community. Find that complaint. Show up there. Help first.

2. Your first 10 customers will never come from SEO

I spent time optimizing my website copy when I had 6 visitors a week. Completely wrong priority. Direct outreach to 10 real people beats 1000 website visitors at this stage.

3. Trust beats features — always

A jeweller doesn't care about your AI model or your tech stack. They care about one thing — "will this actually help me sell more jewelry?"

Show them a before and after. That's your entire pitch.

What I'm doing this week based on this:

— Identifying 20 jewellers already complaining about photography costs in Facebook groups

— Offering them a free showcase image — no pitch, just value

— Documenting every response honestly here

Question for this community:

For those of you who have sold tools or software to offline or non-tech businesses — how did you get your first paying customer?

Not your 100th. Your FIRST.

Would genuinely love to learn from people who've been here.

Building in public from Saharanpur, India 🇮🇳

jewelviz.com

— Suhail Qureshi

Weekly update on building JewelViz (jewelviz.com) — AI jewelry photos for Indian jewellers.

Numbers this week:

— Website visitors: 6

— Showcases generated: testing phase

— Paying customers: 0

— Real feedback received: 1 ✅

The feedback that mattered most:

A user tried JewelViz and said jewelry details came out well — but "Modern Indian" model kept generating saree + wedding setting instead of casual western outfit with studio background.

This told me two things:

Product works — jewelry accuracy is good

Model style prompts need to be stronger — "Modern Indian" should actually mean modern

What I'm fixing:

— Stronger prompt engineering for each model style

— Studio background should completely override cultural setting

— Adding more casual/contemporary model options

Biggest challenge right now:

API integration issue — switching from AiCredits to Fal.ai. Account got locked during setup. Support ticket open.

Not giving up. Every problem is a lesson.

Building in public from Saharanpur, India 🇮🇳

jewelviz.com

Update on building JewelViz AI jewelry photos for Indian jewellers.

Yesterday's post got 42 views and #41 on Build Board. Thank you for the support!

Today's learning:

Read a post here on IH — "How to find your first paying user." One line changed my thinking:

"Find people who are already feeling the problem — not people who might feel it someday."

For JewelViz this means:

Indian jewellers who are posting in Facebook groups asking "koi sasta photographer hai?" — THOSE are my customers. They are already frustrated. Already searching.

Action I'm taking today:

— Joined 5 Indian jewellery Facebook groups

— Going to find posts where jewellers are asking for photographers

— Going to reply with JewelViz as solution

0 paying customers still. But now I know exactly where to look.

Building in public from Saharanpur, India 🇮🇳

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?