Hey friends 👋
Ever had a customer ask for a feature and felt that immediate pressure to say yes?
This week, we’re tackling something every founder faces: the difference between scope creep disguised as customer validation, and high-conviction feature development.
We break down why customer requests aren’t always worth building, even when they come from your biggest accounts.
The stakes?
It’s not just wasted time and money—you’re building technical debt that turns your nimble pirate ship into a slow-moving container ship. Every feature you add based on weak signals makes it harder to pivot when you need to.
Through three real-world scenarios, we show you exactly how to evaluate feature requests. We dive into what separates “nice to have” from “urgent pain point,” and why you need to move customers from *saying* they want something to actually putting resources behind it.
The key: look for patterns, validate willingness to pay, and understand if you’re solving a real bottleneck—or just being nice.
Our conviction scale ratings ranged from “absolutely not” to “get an LOI first”—and we explain exactly why.
Plus in Frivolous Thoughts: JDM’s quest for the perfect backpack and Cameron’s love for “The Pitt” on HBO Max.
As always, thanks for listening!
—Cam & JDM
