"Build it and they will come" is dangerous advice

Sergey Kargopolov1mo ago

There was time I shared my idea with many people at the local masterminds events and morning business meetings clubs. Almost always people would tell me how excellent the idea was and they would for sure use the app.

But when the app was finally built and people were invited I think less than 1% signed up 😅.

So I would say don't even trust when people tell you it is good. Ask them to signed up to a waiting list of even pre-join for $1.

When people are asked to pay even $1 that's when they are actually evaluate if they like it enough to go for it :)

Jinny Moon1mo ago

I learned this the harder way too. Building is the comfortable part because it feels productive, but actually asking people whether they want the thing can be much more uncomfortable.

With Crazy Sajangnim, I built first because I personally wanted a better way to discover discounted fashion and make shopping decisions with other people. Once I started sharing it, though, the most useful feedback wasn’t about features I had already built — it was people telling me what would actually make them return, what confused them, and which parts they didn’t care about.

I still think building early can be useful when you’re solving your own problem, but I’d validate much sooner now. Even a landing page, mockup, or conversation with 20 potential users can save weeks of building the wrong thing.

The bigger lesson for me has been: don’t just validate whether people think the idea sounds good. Validate whether they’ll actually change their behavior for it.

Sergey Kargopolov1mo ago

Many experienced online entrepreneurs suggest starting with a single page that explains what you offer and lets people join the waitlist for $1.

Then share this page with as many people as you can who match your target audience and see if they join the waitlist for $1.

This will help you validate your idea before you spend time and money building a complete, fully functional app.

It will also show whether you have the skills to find your target audience and get them to engage with you.

We often overestimate our marketing and distribution abilities 🙂

Olga Kargopolova1mo ago

Jinny, your last line is a great point. Validating that people think an idea sounds good and validating that they'll change their behavior for it are two completely different tests, and only one of them predicts anything.

Sahil, I believe the jump from 300 messages to 6 payments is your real data point. Not because 6 is small, but because you now know the conversion rate between simple enthusiasm and the actual payment.