For Polly's horizontal product, the founder learned the most critical mistake was assuming every user should be a paying user. The key to success was distinguishing the vast user base from the specific buyer persona, a trivial-sounding but fundamental insight that guided their entire strategy.

Standard discovery questions about 'pain points' are too broad. Instead, focus on concrete 'projects on their to-do list.' This reveals their immediate priorities, existing attempts, and the specific 'pull' that will drive a purchase, allowing you to align your solution perfectly.

True product demand lies in the gap between what customers are currently doing (observable on their calendar) and their ultimate goals (their mental to-do list). A successful product closes this gap, better aligning a customer's actions with their underlying objectives. This mismatch is where "pull" is found.

High-level company initiatives are not real demand. True demand only exists when a specific person has the project on their personal to-do list. Sales efforts are wasted if you cannot find and sell to that individual owner.

Successful startups tap into organic customer needs that already exist—a 'pull' from the market. In contrast, 'conjuring demand' involves a founder trying to convince a market of a new worldview without prior evidence. This is a much harder and less reliable path to building a business.

Some of the largest markets address needs customers have completely given up on because no viable solution existed. This powerful latent demand is invisible if you only observe current activities. You must uncover the high-priority goals on their mental "to-do list" that they have quit trying to achieve.

Instead of searching for a market to serve, founders should solve a problem they personally experience. This "bottom-up" approach guarantees product-market fit for at least one person—the founder—providing a solid foundation to build upon and avoiding the common failure of abstract, top-down market analysis.