Let me tell you a quick secret:
The number one reason new ideas fail isn’t because the product is ugly, the logo is bad, or the website isn’t fancy enough.
It’s because… nobody actually wanted it in the first place.

I know — sounds harsh. But here’s the thing: when we’re excited about an idea, our brains love to play cheerleader.
We start thinking:

“Of course people will use this! I would!”
“My friends said it’s cool!”
“There’s nothing else like it, so I’m first to market!”

But unless your friends are going to be your only customers forever… you’ve got to step outside your own head and hear it straight from the people who matter: your potential customers.

So, why talk to them?

1. To find the truth early
It’s much better to discover now—before you spend months building—that people want something slightly (or completely) different than you thought.

2. To avoid the “build, pray, and hope” trap
Many founders skip discovery, build what they think is perfect, then cross their fingers and hope people will buy it. Spoiler: that’s a very expensive gamble.

3. To uncover problems you didn’t see coming
Customers often have needs, frustrations, or priorities you never considered. Sometimes their biggest problem is not the one you assumed.

4. To learn their language
The exact words people use to describe their problem are gold—you can use them in marketing, pitches, and product design so it feels like you’re reading their mind.

A little story from our own journey

When we were first putting Innovation Within out into the world, we had a tagline we thought was clever.
We were proud of it.
We thought it made us sound smart.

Then we showed it to one of our early customers.

She read it, tilted her head, and said:

“Hmm… it’s fine. But you know what would make people instantly get what you do?
‘Customer Discovery, Without the Pain.’”

It was perfect. Short. Clear. Memorable.
We dropped our “clever” tagline and used hers immediately.

And here’s the lesson:
We could have spent weeks arguing internally about wording, but in one conversation, the customer nailed it—because she understood what she wanted from us better than we did.

Talking to customers isn’t just about validating big, strategic decisions. Sometimes, it’s the small insights—a phrase, a priority, a complaint—that completely change how you present yourself to the world. Those little shifts can make the difference between being ignored… and being understood instantly.