When it comes to advice, “validate your idea” tops the list of well-intentioned but flawed. At first glance, it makes sense: who doesn’t want to

Why “validate your idea” is bad advice

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2021-06-21 17:30:07

When it comes to advice, “validate your idea” tops the list of well-intentioned but flawed. At first glance, it makes sense: who doesn’t want to know if their idea will work? But there are some lurking misconceptions that make this counterproductive. For starters, we don’t usually want accurate information, we want validating information.  “Validate your idea” nudges you to prove that you are right, which makes you extra vulnerable to false positives. Here’s a reality check: real validation only comes after launching. Before then, de-risking your idea is the best way to save time.  But not every idea is worth de-risking or even can be de-risked: 

Now when it comes to known problems, de-risking is a powerful tool. By reframing your idea as a series of risks, it becomes easier to seek the truth, not just validation:

Each step is a risk that can put you out of business. Product people tend to over-index on #4 even though market failure is more common. Paranoid people tend to over-index on #5 and end up building too slowly or not at all. Let’s cover how to tackle each one! ‍

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