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Earlier quoted context omitted.
You asked the wrong question. You should only ask how do they work, and think yourself about the solution. They are business, not software developers.
I feel like they would want some incentive to disclose the workings of their business. Have you had good results with this approach?
Best place to start is where you already are, not a new venture - what exactly was the product and what did you do to gain traction?
EDIT: You posted a "Show HN" linking to the site below [1], is this the project you're referencing?
A few Ideas I want someone to work on: - Code/Product Documentation SaaS tool for early stage tech companies (very few good products, one is ReadMe.io) - An ad network for progressive web apps (PWA have good future and as of now there is no exclusive ad network for them) - CRM kind of SaaS app for startup founders (where founders can manage all their relationship, communication and contacts like investors, journalist…
Pick a market - no point in building things for people who don't have the ability or will to pay for them
Join their community - make like you're interested in getting licensed or participating. Look around for forums, almost every specialty field of hobby or business has online forums and they're generally easy to get into.
Pay attention to what people complain about and which problems come up repeatedly. You can ask people who are complaining to explain what their issues are and they'll often be happy to tell you. An even better way to gather information is dispute the basis for the complaint, insisting that The Problem isn't a big deal - as a newbie on the forum this will usually inspire someone to put you in your place with a detailed rebuttal that they might not otherwise have bothered to spell out for you.
2.- There are no blatant problems awaiting for a solution anymore (it's 2018!). Successful startups have to provide an original, excellently-executed approach to old problems.
3.- You have huge competition; be aware of that. A whole generation has been taught to pursue the same goals as you.
4.- Finally, one always can network. Lots of non-tecnnical founders are looking for CTOs.
Did you mail businesses out of the blue? What did you write to them?
I did. I emailed a bunch of different smaller companies in different sectors/industries. Explained to them that I build software to help small companies and am interested in knowing if they either have been looking for a product that doesn’t exist or are unhappy with a current product. Got some friendly responses but most said things are working well.
Actually selling them solutions is difficult though because management is often too stupid to understand it no matter how simple the solution. Plus often management doesn't actually care if they are throwing money away. So long as they think they are up to date with industry norms in the region they operate then they feel like they are doing their job. I've proposed solutions that similar companies use in other countries successfully and been met with complete disinterest. YMMV
Speaking as an anthropologist: go into the field. I bet very few great ideas came from behind a desk. Ask people with jobs you don’t know much about simple questions that are not directly aimed at finding out what you can sell them. Be genuinely interested in their day. “What do you do first when you get to work?”, “Do you dress a certain way?”, “Do you eat with co-workers or alone?”, “Do you like to go outside durin…
Also you could go into the field at different levels, right? Level 1: by canvassing random businesses asking about problems. Level 2: by attending conferences where business owners are open to discovering new solutions. Level 3: by crawling business forums where owners discuss specific problems they have. Level 4: by crawling reviews for solutions where business owners complain about specific problems they have with…
Going into the field anthropology-style means participatory observation; you join those that you are researching in whatever they are doing. You try to experience their world and uncover their interpretation of it. You make an honest attempt to blend in and almost become of them.
And then you don't become one of them, because your being-different enables you to identify opportunities that others in that field cannot. And that is the stuff great ideas are made of.