Validation Comes After Launch

You can’t validate a product with opinions.

People love to be nice. They’ll tell you what you want to hear. “I’d buy that.” “Sounds awesome.” “I’d totally use it.” They’re not lying to be cruel. They’re trying to be supportive. But support doesn’t equal commitment.

The second you ask for money, everything changes.

That’s the gap most early teams fall into. They build confidence through conversation, then get blindsided when no one converts. The truth? Feedback is cheap. Intent is slippery. Until someone clicks buy now, you’ve got nothing but noise.

This is why validation through interviews alone is a trap. You walk away with quotes and warm fuzzies, but no proof. No one wants to crush your idea to your face. No one wants to admit they’d never use it. So they hedge. They smile. They say “maybe.” You hear “yes.”

Only the market tells the truth.

Put something live. Doesn’t need to be finished. Doesn’t need to be perfect. Just needs to be real. Real enough for people to understand it, want it, and act. Even if that action is signing up. Giving an email. Pre-ordering. Paying a deposit.

You’re not looking for compliments. You’re looking for behaviour.

If people really want what you’ve made, they’ll show you. They’ll take out their wallet. They’ll share it with friends. They’ll come back again. That’s real validation. Not the stuff they say. The stuff they do.

That’s why speed matters. The faster you get to market, the faster you find out if your idea has legs. You don’t need a big launch. You don’t need a press release. You need a link you can send to five people who might actually care. Then watch what they do.

Listen. Adjust. Ship again. It’s not about nailing it the first time. It’s about learning fast enough to survive.

So don’t wait. Don’t hide behind research. Don’t collect 100 “yes” answers you can’t cash in. Put something out there. See what sticks. Move fast.

The market won’t lie. That’s the only feedback worth listening to.