For a startup introducing a new AI-native experience without control over an OS like iOS or Android, hardware was the only viable path. Launching as an app would get lost in the noise; the physical device created its own distribution channel.

Instead of viewing pre-orders as a customer inconvenience, a founder was advised to reframe them as a community-building tool. By being transparent and offering a small discount, a brand can create loyal early supporters who feel invested in the company's journey.

During the COVID crisis, with revenue at zero, Accel Events pivoted to virtual events by selling a product that didn't exist yet. They created mockups, sold with the confidence they could build it, and then developed features only after customers signed up. This rapid, customer-funded development saved the company.

Product teams often fear showing prototypes because strong customer demand creates pressure. This mindset is flawed. Having customers eager to buy an unbuilt feature is a high-quality signal that validates your roadmap and is the best problem a product manager can have.

Startups with lukewarm demand must have a perfect go-to-market process. In contrast, when you find intense demand where customers are pulling the product from you, the rest of your "factory" (pipeline, sales, delivery) can be messy and still function, allowing you to iterate and improve.

Lindsay Carter's most impactful early decision was placing a second purchase order before knowing if the first would succeed. This high-risk move ensured that once the initial inventory sold out, new product was arriving to keep the momentum going. In a hype-driven market, waiting for sales data can mean losing customer attention.

Don't view high-pressure sales requests as roadmap disruptions. Instead, see them as opportunities to pull forward planned features, co-design them with a committed customer, and provide the team with a motivating, tangible deadline. This turns external pressure into an accelerator for validated product development.

Founders often over-index on early user complaints. However, if a product addresses a powerful, unmet demand, users will endure significant flaws. The existence of strong market "pull" is a more important signal than initial product imperfections. The market will effectively fund the product's improvement.

The unambiguous signal of Product-Market Fit (PMF) isn't a magic number in your analytics. It's when customer pull becomes so strong that it breaks your supply chain, logistics, and team capacity, forcing uncontrollable growth even without marketing spend.