> I always immediately (within a week) found customers and handed the product to them, and abandoned the product if the response wasn't absolute euphoria
How do you find customers? (I.e. people with buying power, and clearly defined unsolved problems.) Being able to do so is a pretty valuable skill!
Almost everyone has some buying power and some unsolved problems, the issue is that most so-called problems are tolerable to an extent that people will not pay to solve them. I haven't solved this issue, which is why I use my trial and error approach.
As for finding people to share your product with, it's very easy. If you had any hypothesis behind your solution, you can guess where your customers might be - and if you just approach these people (whether online or in person, such as what the Pinterest founder did), very few will refuse to give your product a try if you offer it gratis. Getting people to pay comes after getting people to love your product, and the latter is difficult enough that if you really did it you won't have to worry about the money.
How do you find customers? (I.e. people with buying power, and clearly defined unsolved problems.) Being able to do so is a pretty valuable skill!