

Ask HN: Homework you did/didn't do before a startup  - KeepTalking

I have been pondering over the last few days:  what homework had you done before you started your last venture.<p>I was trying to think of everything that can go - WRONG - when you try to start a firm on your own.<p>If you could add your own experiences along with stuff you wish you had taken care before you jumped in -  this would be AWESOME food for thought for a first timer.
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harnhua
We make a design platform for engineers, and as both founders have technical
backgrounds, we talked with around 30-40 engineers (presumably our target
customers) about our product before starting to code.

Turns out, feedback from friends was almost always positive and
encouraging("Great ideas! Go for it!"), but we must have neglected to either
ask people who aren't friends and family, or we didn't emphasize enough the
question, "Will you pay for it and how much?" :)

Luckily, after spending 6 months making a beta, we got in touch with real
customer leads, and found that while our product features are still relevant,
we must position and market it differently to stand a chance.

So while there's still a long way to go, market validation is one of the
things we should have done better.

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petervandijck
Homework:

1\. Check out the competition. How are they doing? Making money?

2\. Think how long it'd take you to get to a minimal version. Sketch and see
what you can leave out.

