The De-Risking Playbook Why I Ask for $1,000 for a Product That Doesn’t Exist
Sep 26, 2025
In a candid discussion, the host tackles the disconnect between building tools and generating sales. He argues that many projects suffer from a lack of real market demand, often being solutions in search of a problem. The host emphasizes the importance of pre-validation through prepayments, asserting that true commitment from customers can only be gauged when they invest before a product exists. He even shares a bold strategy of charging for beta access, urging founders to ensure their ideas have genuine value.
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Validate With Prepayments
- Ask for prepayments before writing a single line of code to validate demand.
- Use money as the strongest signal that a problem is worth solving.
Building Breeds Bias
- Building early makes founders fall in love and avoid critical feedback.
- That emotional attachment blocks honest market validation.
Flip The Beta Relationship
- Stop asking customers to 'take my money and help me build it.' Instead, take their money and ask them to build with you.
- If someone pays, the problem is real; if they don't, it's the wrong problem.