Hey friends 👋
We’re diving into one of the most dangerous traps in early-stage startups: the say-do gap. You know the one—where 41 out of 47 customer interviews say they’d “definitely use this,” so you rush off to build... only to find crickets when you launch.
This week we break down the Four Asks framework: time, money, effort, and access. These are the commitments that separate real intent from polite interest. Because here’s the thing: feedback is free, but commitment isn’t.
We walk through three real scenarios (okay, Claude made them up, but they’re painfully realistic):
The AI procurement tool with suspiciously perfect interview results
The compliance reporting SaaS running “feedback pilots” instead of paid ones
The kitchen marketplace getting feature requests from “power users”
Each one has signals mixed with noise. We show you exactly how to separate them.
Key insight: You literally cannot achieve product-market fit without charging money. If you’re not asking customers to pay, you might just be building “product freeloader fit” instead.
Whether you’re in customer discovery or running pilots, this episode gives you the tactical playbook to close that gap and validate real demand.
Also: We finally offboarded Cass (he’s on “mandatory sabbatical”), welcomed Claude as our new co-host, and Cameron mourns the end of Slow Horses season 5.
See you in your ears next week,
—Cameron and JDM
P.S.: Join us November 19th for a live recording during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Bring your questions.
