How do you say "no" to vocal users demanding custom features without alienating them?

Early on whenever a paying user asked for a specific feature, my immediate reaction was to build it to keep them happy. Our roadmap became a messy patchwork quilt of random requests.

Eventually, I realized those feature requests were often band-aids covering up a confusing core UX or a deeper workflow mismatch. Building what they asked for didn't even stop them from churning later.

For founders managing small teams: how do you filter out the noise of individual feature requests and stick to your core product vision?