Instead of guarding prototypes, build a library of high-fidelity, interactive demos and give sales and customer success teams free reign to show them to customers. This democratizes the feedback process, accelerates validation, and eliminates the engineering burden of creating one-off sales demos.

Don't just collect feedback from all users equally. Identify and listen closely to the few "visionary users" who intuitively grasp what's next. Their detailed feedback can serve as a powerful validation and even a blueprint for your long-term product strategy.

Only showing the final, polished product makes others feel inadequate and behind. More importantly, it prevents you from building an engaged audience by not sharing the journey. Sharing mistakes, pivots, and behind-the-scenes struggles gives others permission to start messy and builds their curiosity for your eventual launch.

Early-stage founders, especially those who are analytically minded, must resist the comfort of spreadsheets and data. The most crucial activity is direct engagement and selling, even if it feels uncomfortable. No amount of analysis can replace the impact of the founder personally championing the product.

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.

Birdies founder Bianca Gates argues that real community isn't a marketing tactic. It emerges organically from a founder's genuine need for help, leveraging personal networks for everything from feedback to early sales. This desperation creates authentic early evangelists.