# Recruit a friendly customer as a design partner and co-build

- Category: product
- Author: Mile Rosu (https://indie.md/people/mile-rosu/)
- Source: https://indie.md/journeys/mile-church-software/
- Canonical URL: https://indie.md/advice/recruit-a-design-partner-to-co-build/

Rather than guess at church workflows from the outside, Mile's plan is to recruit one friendly church as a design partner and build the product alongside them. A design partner who lives the problem corrects your wrong assumptions before they become wrong code: the donation flow that does not match how the treasurer works, the schedule you never thought to model. For early feedback, meet the buyer where they already are, in WhatsApp groups and local community channels, and target the people who handle the tech, the church IT contact or the volunteer keeping the spreadsheets alive. Co-building with one real customer beats a polished product designed for an imaginary one.