Instructions
People are generally polite. When you show them an idea, they'll often tell you it sounds great, they'd definitely use it, or they know people who would love this. That's not lying — it's human nature. But it means that what people say and what they actually do are two very different kinds of evidence.
Behavioural signals are far more reliable than stated intent. Someone who pays a deposit, signs up before a product exists, schedules a follow-up call unprompted, or shows you the workaround they've built themselves — these are signals that something real is going on. Someone who nods along and says "I'd definitely pay for that" is not.
This gap — between words and actions — is one of the most common reasons founders misjudge demand. They run conversations, hear mostly positive ...
