The biggest pitfall for early-stage founders
Before you build, do this simple thing first
Hi there,
After 11 years in growth — agency, in-house, and now consulting — I’ve seen a lot of great ideas never make it past the launch stage. Not because they weren’t smart, but because they were built too soon.
I once spoke with a team that had spent two years building a product before launch. The scary part? They still weren’t sure if the feature they’d invested most in was something people would actually pay for.
They’d done research, but it was the wrong kind. They’d asked, “Would you use this?” instead of finding out whether people were desperate enough to pay to solve the problem.
It’s such an easy trap to fall into, especially when your idea comes from personal frustration. “I struggled with this, so others must too.” But one person’s pain doesn’t make a market.
That’s precisely what I discussed in my latest Mobile Dev Memo episode with Eric Seufert, where we explored how to avoid this early-stage black hole — when you’ve built something clever but not something that actually sticks.
Why does early validation matter?
Your worst nightmare as an app founder is building something that falls flat. You can get stuck in a bubble of endless building, convincing yourself that one more feature will fix it.
The goal of early validation isn’t perfection. It’s risk reduction. You’re not trying to confirm what you already believe, but to uncover the truth fast — even if it stings a little.
What you want to learn:
Is this a real problem people are willing to pay to solve?
Who are those people?
Why aren’t the current solutions enough?
You’re looking for desperation, not “nice-to-haves.”
Before you write a single line of code
Before you build, validate the problem. I love Teresa Torres’ Opportunity Solution Tree for this. It helps you take a step back and map out what problem you’re solving and the assumptions behind it.
Then, start de-risking:
Read competitor reviews and forums to eavesdrop on what frustrates your future users.
Spot patterns in what people love and hate about current solutions.
Test onboarding or a fake paywall through a simple Typeform or landing page.
You don’t need an app or product to start learning.
Validating monetisation early
Most people think pricing comes after product-market fit. I’d argue monetization is actually part of it.
You can’t just prove that people want your product; you also need to know if they’ll pay for it.
One of my favorite examples is Photoroom, the photo-editing app. They started charging from day one for just a straightforward feature: removing photo backgrounds easily on your phone. That was enough to validate demand before building more.
When testing willingness to pay, keep in mind:
People unintentionally lie when they say they’ll pay.
Clicks don’t equal sales.
Messaging matters more than you think.
A few ways to test it:
Fake-door tests: Build a landing page with a “Pay” button and track intent.
Paid waitlists: Ask users to pre-pay for early access.
Presell MVP access: You can even do this through RevenueCat redemption links.
Testing willingness to pay doesn’t just validate revenue; it also improves retention. People who pay are more committed.
Check out my full article on ways to validate before you build:
Recognising early product-market fit signals
So you are doing all the above, but do you have PMF? In soft launch, PMF signals are small but meaningful:
Users come back on their own, not just when prompted.
People stick around month after month, even if there are bugs.
Users tell others about your app.
They’re eager to share feedback and input.
They pay, even for a limited version.
If you’re seeing these signals, you’re on to something. It’s the combination of multiple indicators—not just the classic PMF question (though that’s definitely helpful).
Recommendation
In every edition of Growth Waves, I also share a related resource to check out related to the week’s topic.
Definitely check out the full podcast episode for more on zero to one growth. We cover (among other topics):
The purpose of early audience validation
How monetisation can be validated without actually being implemented in a product
How can you recognise that your optimal audience isn’t being served
How user feedback can contribute to your understanding of product-market fit
How to quantify the scale of your product’s opportunity
How to recognise product-market fit in the soft launch/beta stage
Let me know what you think!
The biggest lesson? Don’t chase growth before you’ve earned it.
Build something people can’t imagine losing, and the rest gets easier.
Till next week,
Daphne