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I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
If you are a solo founder/ bootstrapper, what do you do get honest feedback on your products/ideas?
Especially when you're just starting out, and have no users yet.
Who do you ask?
- Friends and family - Other founders in communities - Twitter
Anyone else?
Would love to know your approach or if something that worked for you.
Thanks
I am an owner of grocery shop and for me it is super easy to have a talk with my clients or to observe their behaviour. Somebody don't like our goods or service, somebody use to fall down before even entering because tiles on stairs become slippery on winters. Somebody use to steal something as expensive as possible without any real needness. Well, software business is different but find a way to get some talks with…
So basically, have a similar approach to a physical business even for a software business.
Thanks for sharing.
Sometimes you can get small grants to cover professional advice, which can include feedback, or sometimes there will be events where you can get such advice from experts for free.
I also help run an invetors' club, and that is another good venue for advice.
Definitely lots of feedback from everyone possible. Try and have someone other than you ask in some cases, because people will be deferential and kind to you as inventor/creator. Sometimes you can get small grants to cover professional advice, which can include feedback, or sometimes there will be events where you can get such advice from experts for free. I also help run an invetors' club, and that is another good v…
Never get defensive.
Be curious. Never get defensive.
Here's a summary: https://www.slideshare.net/xamde/summary-of-the-mom-test
The closer you are to the target user and target buyer (not necessarily the same person), the better. You can learn a lot from anyone, but it might be at a pretty abstract level and less useful.
Focus as much as you can on users and buyers. Speak with them often, observe what they do often, wherever they are - conversations with you, chatting with each other online, complaining about current pain points with existing solutions, including in reviews for products that solve similar problems.
Good luck!
Have you read The Mom Test? Highly recommended. Here's a summary: https://www.slideshare.net/xamde/summary-of-the-mom-test The closer you are to the target user and target buyer (not necessarily the same person), the better. You can learn a lot from anyone, but it might be at a pretty abstract level and less useful. Focus as much as you can on users and buyers. Speak with them often, observe what they do often, where…
I'm a big fan of The Mom Test. Fantastic book.
But I was more curious about how are people actually applying it's lessons in their actual business.
Have you read The Mom Test? Highly recommended. Here's a summary: https://www.slideshare.net/xamde/summary-of-the-mom-test The closer you are to the target user and target buyer (not necessarily the same person), the better. You can learn a lot from anyone, but it might be at a pretty abstract level and less useful. Focus as much as you can on users and buyers. Speak with them often, observe what they do often, where…
Thanks a lot. I'm a big fan of The Mom Test. Fantastic book. But I was more curious about how are people actually applying it's lessons in their actual business.
Something I did which was highly effective was set up a Discord server to watch users talk about my product with each other. Doesn’t have to be Discord. Can be a Facebook group, sub-Reddit, etc