Founder reflecting late at night after repairing his website

UNDERSTANDING BEFORE SPEED

A FOUNDER’S JOURNEY BUILDING WITH AI

ARTICLE 5 OF 12

The Question I Should Have Asked Before Writing a Single Line of Code

The promise I made after spending hours repairing what AI broke in one evening.

14 Min Read | July 2026 | Founder’s Journal

Instructions tell AI what to build. Questions help you discover what should be built in the first place.
Kunwer Sachdev

Dear Reader,

The next morning, after spending hours repairing the website, I made a promise to myself.

I would never again begin a project by asking AI to build.

Instead, I would ask AI to think.

That one decision has probably saved me more time than any prompt, software, or automation tool I have ever used.

Today, whenever I start a new website or a major feature on kunwersachdev.com, I don’t open Cursor and say, “Let’s build this.”

I open ChatGPT or Claude and ask something completely different:

🧠 FOUNDER’S PROMPT

“If you were the Chief Technology Officer, SEO strategist, UX designer, software architect, and product manager for this project, what are the five decisions we must get absolutely right before anyone writes the first line of code?”

That single conversation changes everything. Instead of rushing into development, AI forces me to slow down and think like an architect.

Website that looked better until you start clicking — The Website That Looked Better… Until I Started Clicking

The Five Conversations Every Founder Should Have With AI

Over time, I discovered that almost every successful website stands on five foundations. If these are weak, no amount of redesigning, SEO tweaking, or coding brilliance can completely fix them later.

Information Architecture — Is the Foundation Strong Enough?

Before creating pages, ask AI to design the entire structure. How will users navigate? How will search engines understand your content? How will the website grow when it has ten times more pages? Changing structure after launch is like moving a house foundation after the walls are built.

SEO Strategy — Can People Find You?

Most founders think SEO starts after the website is finished. I made that mistake too. Today SEO is one of the very first conversations. I ask: “If this website had to rank on Google two years from now, what should we design differently today?”

User Experience — Will People Enjoy Using It?

A visitor doesn’t care how many months you spent building. They care whether they can achieve their goal quickly. Simple beats clever. Clear beats complicated.

Technical Foundation — Will It Scale?

Structured data, performance, security, mobile responsiveness, accessibility, clean code, scalability. Nobody notices a good foundation. Everyone notices a weak one.

Business Purpose — Why Does This Website Exist?

Not “What features should we build?” but “What business problem are we solving?” Every page, button, feature, and article should move the visitor one step closer. If it doesn’t, it probably doesn’t belong.

The Biggest Lesson

Looking back, I realise I wasn’t asking AI enough questions. I was giving it instructions.

There is a huge difference. Instructions tell AI what to build. Questions help you discover what should be built in the first place.

That is where real intelligence begins — not with coding, not with prompts, but with clarity. A lesson that connects directly to knowing which AI to ask which question.

Founder’s Reflection

If I could go back to the day I started building my first major platform, I wouldn’t change the technology. I wouldn’t even change the AI.

I would simply ask better questions before taking the first step — because the most expensive mistakes in software are rarely caused by poor coding. They’re caused by building the wrong thing beautifully.

🧠 AI PROMPT OF THE WEEK — COPY & USE

Act as my CTO, SEO strategist, UX designer, software architect, product manager, and digital marketing advisor. Before writing a single line of code, ask me every important question about this website. Challenge my assumptions. Identify the five biggest mistakes that will become expensive to fix later. Design the complete information architecture, SEO strategy, user journey, technical architecture, and scalability plan before we begin development. Do not start building until you believe the foundation is strong.

Understanding bridge — Ideas to Execution

THE LESSON

Don’t ask AI to build first. Ask it to think like your entire leadership team — then build on a foundation that won’t crack under pressure.

Five experts reviewing blueprints with the founder

FOUNDER’S NOTE

The most expensive mistakes in software are rarely caused by poor coding. They’re caused by building the wrong thing beautifully — and that starts with asking better questions first.

ASK BEFORE YOU BUILD

“What are the five decisions we must get absolutely right before anyone writes the first line of code?”

COMING NEXT

Article 6: Building the Platform

When the blueprint is finally clear, the real building begins — and every decision from today starts to matter.

Unfinished digital platform coming to life

About the Author

Kunwer Sachdev

Entrepreneur | Inventor | Mentor | Investor

Kunwer Sachdev is an entrepreneur, inventor and technology builder best known for founding Su-Kam, one of India’s pioneering power backup and solar technology companies. After decades of building hardware products, he is now exploring how AI can help founders build software without losing the originality of their vision.

AI should understand the human before it understands the code.

Disclaimer: It is important to note that while Mr. Kunwer Sachdev founded Su-Kam Power Systems, he is no longer associated with the company as of 2019. Any information regarding his involvement in the company’s operations, strategies, or future plans reflects his tenure prior to that date. Therefore, any discussions or analyses of Su-Kam Power Systems should be considered in the context of his past contributions and not his current association with the company.

Founder. Inventor. Builder. | From Inverters to Intelligence. | kunwersachdev.com