Starting a Business

“Running Lean” provides a step-by-step guide for entrepreneurs to systematically test, validate, and iterate on their business ideas to reduce risk and build products that customers truly want.

“Running Lean” is ideal for:

Entrepreneurs and Startup Founders: Those looking to turn their ideas into successful businesses while minimizing risk.
Product Managers: People who want to better understand customer needs and build products that solve real problems.
Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Individuals with a business idea who want a systematic way to validate it before fully committing.
Innovators in Larger Organizations: Corporate intrapreneurs

The book helps entrepreneurs avoid the common mistake of building products nobody wants by teaching them how to:

Validate their ideas before investing significant time and money.
Minimize risk by identifying and testing the riskiest assumptions early.
Learn from customers through interviews, experiments, and feedback.
Adapt quickly based on real data, allowing them to pivot when necessary.

Introduction: Why Startups Fail

Ash Maurya begins by explaining that most startups fail because they build products that no one actually wants.

Entrepreneurs often fall in love with their ideas and start building without testing if customers really need the product. The book teaches how to systematically test your business idea to avoid this mistake and minimize risk.

Chapter 1: Running Lean – Process Overview

Maurya introduces his three-step process for creating a successful business:

Document Your Plan:

Write down all your assumptions about your business model using a tool called the Lean Canvas (a one-page business plan that focuses on the most important elements like problem, solution, and customer segments).

Identify the Riskiest Assumptions:

Figure out which parts of your plan are the riskiest (i.e., which parts could cause your business to fail if you’re wrong about them).

Systematically Test Your Plan:

Start testing your assumptions with real customers (to know if they are true) by conducting small, quick experiments (like interviews or prototypes) to gather feedback.

Chapter 2: Document Your Plan A

In this chapter, you learn how to fill out the Lean Canvas. The Lean Canvas is split into different sections that cover the most critical elements of your business as follows:

Problem: What problem are you solving for your customers?

Customer Segments: Who has this problem? Who are your customers?

Unique Value Proposition: Why should people choose your product over others?

Solution: What is your product or service?

Revenue Streams: How will you make money?

For example, if you are building an app that helps people find parking, you’d write down that the problem is “people have trouble finding parking spots in busy cities.”

Chapter 3: Identify the Riskiest Parts of Your Plan

Now that your plan is documented, you need to identify which parts are the riskiest.

According to Maurya, the riskiest assumptions are usually about whether your customers really have the problem you think they have, and if they are willing to pay for a solution.

For example, you might think that drivers are willing to pay for a parking app, but what if they aren’t? If you build the app and find out later that no one will pay, you’ve wasted time and money.

So, the idea is to test these assumptions first before you build anything big.

Chapter 4: Testing the Problem

This chapter is all about making sure that the problem you are trying to solve is real. Maurya recommends talking to customers early on to understand their pain points.

For example, you might interview 10 people who drive in busy cities and ask them how they currently find parking, what frustrates them about it, and if they would be interested in a better solution.

This helps you learn if the problem is worth solving.

Chapter 5: Defining the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Instead of building a full product right away, Maurya talks about creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

The MVP is the smallest version of your product that allows you to start learning from customers.

For example, if you’re building a parking app, your MVP might be a simple website or a basic app that only covers one neighbourhood.

You launch the MVP to gather feedback from real users and make improvements before adding more features (in other words, don’t add all the features at once.

Chapter 6: Testing the Solution

Once you’ve validated that the problem exists, you can start testing your solution. This chapter teaches you how to use your MVP to get customer feedback.

For example, if you launched your basic parking app, you’d ask users if it solved their problem and what they think could be improved.

You’re trying to learn whether the solution you built actually helps people or if it needs to be adjusted.

Chapter 7: Pivot or Persevere

This chapter introduces the concept of pivoting, which means changing part of your business model if your assumptions are proven wrong.

If your MVP shows that people don’t like your solution or aren’t willing to pay for it, it might be time to pivot.

For example, if drivers say they don’t want to pay for your parking app, but they would use it if it were free, you might pivot to a different business model where you make money from ads instead of customer payments.

Chapter 8: Channels, Revenue, and Metrics

Maurya emphasizes the importance of choosing the right channels to reach your customers, figuring out how to generate revenue, and tracking key metrics to measure your success.

He also talks about the customer lifecycle funnel, which includes acquiring customers, activating them, and keeping them engaged.

For example, if you launch your parking app, you’d need to figure out how to market it (through social media, ads, or partnerships with local businesses), and how much money you can make from each customer.

Chapter 9: Scaling the Business

Once you’ve validated your idea and customers are happy with your solution, it’s time to scale.

This means growing your business by getting more customers and improving your product.

Maurya talks about how to systematically grow by improving your product based on customer feedback, automating processes, and hiring the right team.

For example, once your parking app is successful in one city, you might expand it to other cities and improve features based on user feedback.

Chapter 10: Running Lean in Practice

In this final chapter, Maurya talks about the mindset of running lean. He stresses that entrepreneurship is about learning and adapting quickly.

He encourages readers to embrace failure as part of the process and to continue testing assumptions throughout the life of the business.

For example, even if your parking app is successful, you should keep talking to customers and testing new features or ideas to make sure you’re always delivering value.

Key Lessons and Examples from the Book:

Focus on Learning Early: Before spending time and money building something, focus on learning about your customers and their problems.

Talk to Customers: Customer interviews are critical to validating your ideas. Don’t assume you know what they want.

Start Small (MVP): Launch a basic version of your product to get feedback. Don’t build a full product without knowing if customers need it.

Be Ready to Pivot: If your assumptions are wrong, change direction based on customer feedback.

Example:
If you’re building a food delivery app, you might think that your biggest challenge is creating a beautiful app. But through customer interviews, you learn that customers care more about fast delivery times.

So, you start by testing a basic website that lets people place orders and then focus on improving delivery speed before investing in fancy features.

Here are the things you need to start doing right now:

1. Create a Lean Canvas:

Write down your current business idea on a Lean Canvas. Focus on the key components: problem, customer segments, solution, and value proposition.

You can find Lean Canvas templates online or sketch one yourself.

2. Identify the Riskiest Assumptions:

Review your Lean Canvas and identify the riskiest assumptions that could cause your business to fail (e.g., whether people actually need your product, or if they will pay for it).

Focus on testing these assumptions first.

3. Talk to Potential Customers:

Conduct customer interviews to learn about their problems, frustrations, and behaviours. Avoid pitching your solution right away.

Instead, ask about their experiences and challenges related to the problem you are solving.

Example questions: “How do you currently deal with [problem]?”, “What frustrates you most about this?”

4. Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP);

Create the simplest version of your product that can solve your customers’ problem. It could be a landing page, prototype, or basic version of your app.

Your goal is to gather feedback, not build a polished product.
Focus on learning from how customers use your MVP.

5. Test Your MVP with Real Users

Launch your MVP to a small group of target customers. Observe how they use it and gather feedback.

Ask questions like: “Does this solve your problem?” and “What can be improved?”

6. Measure Key Metrics

Define success metrics for your MVP, such as how many users sign up, engage, or pay for the product. Track these metrics to see if your product is solving a real problem.

7. Be Ready to Pivot

If feedback from your MVP or customer interviews shows that your assumptions were wrong, be ready to pivot (change direction). This might mean adjusting your product, pricing, or business model based on what you’ve learned.

8. Iterate Quickly

Continuously gather customer feedback, make improvements, and run new tests. Keep the cycles fast to learn as much as possible with minimal resources.

1.”Life’s too short to build something nobody wants.”

A reminder to focus on solving real problems that customers care about.

2.”Startups exist not to build stuff, but to learn how to build a sustainable business.”

Emphasizing the purpose of a startup as a learning process rather than just creating products.

3.”Your job isn’t to ‘build the right product’ but to systematically discover what is the right product to build.”

Highlighting the importance of discovery and validation over assumptions.

4.”Love the problem, not the solution.”

Encouraging entrepreneurs to stay focused on solving the customer’s problem rather than getting attached to their original idea.

5.”It’s not about having the right answer, but about asking the right questions.”

The importance of customer feedback and learning in shaping a business.

6.”Think big, start small.”

Advocating for starting with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to test ideas before scaling.

7.”Get out of the building.”

Urging entrepreneurs to engage with real customers instead of relying on assumptions.

8.”The riskiest thing you can do is not take risks.”

Encouraging calculated experimentation and learning from failures.

9.”Plans are useless, but planning is invaluable.”

A reminder that while business plans may change, the process of planning helps you stay adaptable.

10.”A startup is an organization built to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.”

Clarifying that the goal of a startup is to find a sustainable way to grow.

11.”Traction is the best indicator of product-market fit.”

Highlighting the importance of real customer engagement as a measure of success.

12.”Fall in love with the problem, not the solution, and the rest will follow.”

Reinforcing the idea that focusing on customer problems leads to better business solutions.

13.”Decisions should be driven by learning and customer feedback, not guesswork.”

The value of data-driven decision-making in reducing risk.

14.”Make sure you’re building the right ‘it’ before you build ‘it’ right.”

Encouraging entrepreneurs to validate their ideas before perfecting the product.

15.”When in doubt, simplify.”

Advocating for simplicity in products and processes to avoid unnecessary complexity.

16.”Every setback is a learning opportunity in disguise.”

A positive reminder to embrace failure as part of the journey to success.

17.”Most startups fail not because they fail to build what they set out to build, but because they waste time building the wrong product.”

A cautionary note about the dangers of investing time in the wrong ideas.

18.”The most important validation for any business is paying customers.”

Emphasizing the significance of getting customers to pay as the ultimate form of validation.

19. “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”

A reminder that early-stage products don’t need to be perfect—they just need to start gathering feedback.

20.”The goal is not to get everything right the first time, but to improve with every iteration.”

Encouraging constant learning and adaptation in business development.

21.”Don’t focus on building a great product. Focus on building a great business model.”

Stresses the importance of understanding how your business will work, not just the product.

22.”Your customers will tell you what they want, but you must observe what they actually do.”

Highlighting the importance of watching customer behaviour, not just relying on their words.

23.”Persevere until you see strong traction, or pivot if you don’t.”

A clear call to either keep pushing a successful product or change direction if it’s not working.

24.”A startup’s most valuable resource is time, not money.”

Underlining the idea that wasted time is the biggest threat to a startup, more so than wasted money.

Here are other interesting and recommended reading list related to the themes explored in “Running Lean”, for further reading:

1. Masters of Scale podcast summary: How AirBNB was handcrafted by Chesky & Co.
2. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries summary
3. Book summary of “Testing Business Ideas by

   David J. Bland & alexander osterwalder

4. The Mom Test summary by Rob Fitzpatrick

“The Mom Test” shows you how to ask the right questions during customer conversations to get honest, useful feedback to avoid building products that no one wants to use based on misleading answers.

“The Mom Test” is for entrepreneurs, startup founders, and anyone looking to validate or test a business idea (or any idea at all) by talking to customers or users.

After reading “The Mom Test”, you will learn   how to ask the right questions, avoid misleading feedback, and gather honest insights from customers—helping reduce the risk of building a product or feature no one will use.

“The Mom Test” by Rob Fitzpatrick is structured around teaching entrepreneurs how to have effective conversations with potential customers to validate business ideas without being misled.

The premise of the book is that people, including your mom, will want to be polite and supportive when you present your business ideas; leading to biased feedback.

From this book, you will learn how to have conversations with customers that lead to actionable insights, rather than false positives.

This way, you can gather honest, useful feedback that will help you build a product people actually want.

By learning to ask the right questions and interpret customer feedback correctly, entrepreneurs can avoid wasting time on ideas that won’t work and increase their chances of building successful businesses.

Each chapter dives deeper into strategies for getting honest, useful information.

Here’s a  chapter-by-chapter summary of the Mom Test.

Chapter 1: The Mom Test

This chapter introduces the central idea: don’t ask people, especially your mom, if they like your idea.

The reason is simple: people want to be nice and don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they’ll often give overly positive feedback, which can mislead you.

Instead, you should ask questions about their problems, needs, and current behaviours, rather than directly talking about your idea.

Example: Instead of asking your mom, “Would you use my new app to track your groceries?” (because she’ll say yes just to be nice), ask, “How do you currently keep track of your groceries?“

This way, you learn about her actual habits and can see if there’s a genuine problem to solve.

Chapter 2: Avoiding Bad Data

Here, Fitzpatrick explains how entrepreneurs often ask questions in a way that leads to false, unhelpful data.

The main idea is to avoid asking questions that make people give you positive answers out of politeness or hypothetical ones about future actions.

The chapter stresses the importance of focusing on past behaviour and real problems.

Example: Instead of asking, “Would you pay for this service?” ask, “When was the last time you paid for something like this?”

It’s better to understand what they’ve already spent money on rather than what they think they might do.

Chapter 3: Ask About Problems, Not Your Solution

This chapter emphasizes that when talking to customers, your main focus should be understanding their problems, not pitching your solution.

People are much better at describing their own struggles than imagining how your solution might help them.

Example: If you’re building a time-management tool, ask someone, “What’s the most frustrating thing about managing your time right now?” rather than saying, “Do you think this tool will help you manage your time better?”

Chapter 4: Keep It Casual

Fitzpatrick stresses that customer conversations shouldn’t feel like formal interviews.

The best insights come from natural, casual conversations where people feel comfortable enough to share their honest thoughts.

Example: Instead of setting up a formal meeting, try grabbing coffee with someone and casually ask, “Tell me about the last time you struggled with keeping track of your expenses,”.

This can naturally lead to an open, relaxed discussion about their challenges.

Chapter 5: The Path to Honest Signals

This chapter is about understanding which of the signals you got from  customer conversations that are actually useful.

Fitzpatrick calls these “honest signals.” When people give specific, past examples of problems, these are valuable signals.

Vague, future-looking statements (like “I’d definitely buy this”) are not useful.

Example: A strong signal would be someone saying, “Last week I spent hours trying to organize my expenses and it was a nightmare.”

This shows there’s a real problem. A weak signal would be, “That sounds like a great idea, I might use that.” You can’t rely on “might.”

Chapter 6: Commitment and Advancement

This chapter explains how to tell if someone is really interested in your product.

The best way to measure interest is through actions, not words.

If a customer is willing to commit time, money, or resources, it’s a strong sign. Words of encouragement alone don’t mean much.

Example: If someone says, “I love your product idea,” but doesn’t want to pre-order or sign up for updates, it’s not a strong signal.

But if they say, “Can I give you a deposit to get early access?” or “Let me introduce you to my boss who might be interested,” those are signs they’re serious.

Chapter 7: Find Early Adopters

Not everyone is an early adopter—someone willing to try new products before they’re fully polished.

This chapter is about finding those people who are actively looking for solutions to their problems, even if your product isn’t perfect yet.

Early adopters will help you shape your product based on real needs.

Example: If you’re building a budgeting tool, an early adopter might be someone who already uses multiple spreadsheets and apps to manage their money.

They’re frustrated and willing to try something new. Casual users who aren’t looking for solutions yet aren’t as helpful at this stage.

Chapter 8: Avoiding Common Traps

Fitzpatrick lists several common traps entrepreneurs fall into when talking to customers:

1. Pitching too soon: Instead of pitching your idea to potential customers, listen to their problems first.
2. Talking to the wrong people: Focus on people who actually experience the problem you want to solve, not just friends and family.
3. Asking for opinions: Opinions are hypothetical and often useless. Focus on learning about real behaviour instead.

   Example: If you pitch too early, you might hear, “That sounds cool!” and think you’re on the right track. But if you hadn’t pitched and instead asked, “How do you currently handle this?” you might learn they don’t see the problem at all.

Chapter 9: Running the Process

This chapter covers how to keep track of the feedback you’re getting from customer conversations.

It’s important to record what you learn in a structured way to see patterns and make data-driven decisions.

Fitzpatrick advises keeping detailed notes on what people say about their problems and what actions they take (or don’t take).

Example: After each customer conversation, write down the specifics: “Customer X said they spend 4 hours a week trying to manage their budget,” or “Customer Y didn’t express interest in solving the problem.”

Look for patterns across multiple conversations to guide your decisions.

Chapter 10: Maintaining Momentum

In the final chapter, Fitzpatrick explains how to keep the momentum going once you start gathering feedback.

He suggests regularly scheduling customer conversations and continuing to refine your questions.

The more you learn, the better your product will become, and the more likely you are to build something people actually want.

Example: If you’re testing a new feature for your app, don’t just talk to a couple of people and stop. Keep reaching out to potential customers, especially as you develop new versions of your product.

This helps ensure you’re always building based on real customer needs.

Here are some practical action points from “The Mom Test” that you can start implementing right now to validate your business ideas effectively:

1. Stop Asking Leading Questions

Action: Instead of asking, “Do you think my idea is good?” or “Would you use this product?” ask, “Can you tell me about the last time you faced this problem?” or “How are you currently solving this issue?”

Why: This will give you real insights into customer behaviour and their current struggles without influencing their answers.

2. Focus on Real Behaviour, Not Opinions

Action: Next time you talk to someone about your idea, ask them what they have actually done to solve a similar problem in the past, instead of asking if they would do something in the future.

Why: People are bad at predicting future actions, but past behaviour shows what they truly need.

3. Have 3 Customer Conversations This Week
Action:

Set up three casual conversations with potential customers this week.

Focus on learning about their problems and how they currently handle them.

Why: Regular customer conversations are key to gathering honest, actionable feedback.

4. Test for Strong Signals

Action: After talking to a customer, ask them to commit in some way.

This could be signing up for a mailing list, giving a referral, or pre-ordering.

Why: Genuine interest is shown through actions, not words.

5. Talk to Strangers, Not Friends

Action: Reach out to people who fit your target customer profile but aren’t part of your immediate social circle.

Why: Friends and family may give you biased, overly positive feedback, while strangers will be more honest.

6. Document Customer Feedback

Action: After each conversation, take 10 minutes to write down what you learned—specifically any pain points and frustrations they mentioned.

Why: Documenting insights helps you look for patterns and base decisions on real data.

7. Schedule Regular Customer Conversations
Action:

Set a goal to talk to at least 5 potential customers every week.

Keep the focus on learning about their problems, not pitching your solution.

Why: Continuous conversations help you refine your understanding of the problem and your solution’s relevance over time.

8. Test with Small Commitments
Action:

After a conversation, ask the person for a small commitment like subscribing to a mailing list, following up with a meeting, or sharing the idea with a colleague.

Why: Small commitments signal genuine interest, whereas simple verbal agreement might not mean much.

9. Create a Problem Hypothesis
Action:

Write down a clear statement about the problem your potential customers face.

For example: “Small business owners struggle to keep track of their expenses using spreadsheets.”

Why: Defining the problem ensures you’re testing whether the problem is real, rather than assuming it exists.

10. Ask for Referrals
Action:

If someone shows interest but isn’t ready to commit, ask them to refer you to someone they think would benefit from your product or solution.

Why: If someone is genuinely interested, they’ll help you find others who might also find value, expanding your customer base.

11. Avoid Vanity Metrics
Action:

Don’t measure success based on how many people say they “like” your idea.

Instead, track meaningful actions like pre-orders, sign-ups, or introductions.

Why: Likes and positive feedback are “vanity metrics” that can mislead you. Real actions indicate true interest.

12. Refine Your Questions After Each Conversation
Action:

After each customer conversation, review your questions.

Did they give you actionable feedback? If not, adjust your approach for the next conversation.

Why: Continuous refinement will help you get better insights over time.

12. Identify and Prioritize Real Pain Points
Action:

As you gather feedback, identify the top 3 pain points your customers consistently mention.

Focus your efforts on solving these.

Why: Solving a real pain point makes your solution more valuable, rather than building something that’s just a “nice-to-have.”

13. Look for Patterns in Feedback
Action:

After 10-15 customer conversations, review your notes to identify recurring themes or problems.

Prioritize solving these issues.

Why: Patterns in feedback show you where the real demand is, helping you refine your solution.

1.“You aren’t allowed to tell them what their problem is. Even if you’re right, they’ll still get defensive.”

This highlights the importance of letting customers share their own experiences rather than imposing assumptions on them.

2.“It’s not the customer’s job to tell you what to build. It’s your job to find out if there’s a need and build the right solution.”

A reminder that customer feedback should guide you, but it’s up to you to create the right product.

3.“People say you shouldn’t ask your mom whether your business is a good idea. But it’s not because she’s your mom, it’s because she’s polite.”

Asking leading questions can get you positive but useless feedback.

4.“Opinions are worthless. You want facts, commitment, and actions.”

This underscores the importance of focusing on real customer behaviour and commitments rather than vague opinions.

5.“Compliments are the fool’s gold of customer learning: shiny, distracting, and worthless.”

Positive feedback without substance can lead you astray, so it’s essential to dig deeper.

6.“The truth is that it’s hard to know what people really want without observing their behaviour.”

People’s actions are far more valuable than their words when it comes to validating business ideas.

7.“The world’s most deadly trap is running into friends, investors, and early customers who say, ‘I love it!’ but who never seem to actually do anything.”

A warning about mistaking enthusiasm for real commitment or demand.

8.“Startups are about finding the truth, not selling your version of it.”

The goal of customer conversations is to uncover real needs, not to pitch your idea

9.“Good customer conversations are about learning, not selling.”

This emphasizes that the goal is to gather information, not to convince someone to like your idea.

10.“If you’re talking about your idea, you’re doing it wrong.”

A key principle from the book: the conversation should focus on the customer’s problem, not your solution.

11.“People don’t care about your idea. They care about their own problems.”

A reminder that customers are primarily interested in how you can help them, not in your concept itself.

12.“Bad data is worse than no data.”

Gathering inaccurate or biased feedback can lead you to make bad decisions, so it’s better to have fewer, more reliable insights.

13.“Everyone lies to you. They say they want your product, but then they never use it.”

This quote highlights the danger of taking verbal enthusiasm at face value without seeing actions or commitments.

14.“People will want to spare your feelings. They’ll lie to protect you or make you feel good, even if it’s harmful to your business.”

A warning about the politeness trap, where well-meaning feedback can mislead you.

15.“It’s your responsibility to uncover the truth; it’s not their job to spoon-feed it to you.”

This reminds entrepreneurs that they must actively seek out real, useful insights, rather than expecting customers to hand them clear answers.

16.“Success comes from getting out of the building and learning what people really want, not from sitting in your office thinking you already know.”

A call to action to go out, engage with real customers, and avoid assumptions about what they need.

17.“Every time someone agrees to a follow-up meeting, it means they care. Every time someone introduces you to a colleague, it means they care. Actions are key.”

This emphasizes that real interest is shown through actions, not just polite words.

18.“The more you’re talking, the worse you’re doing.”

A reminder to let the customer speak more during conversations so you can learn about their needs and challenges.

19.“The conversation you want is one where the other person tells you about their life, their problems, and how they’re currently dealing with those problems.”

This encourages entrepreneurs to focus on the customer’s world, not their own product or ideas.

20.“People say, ‘I’ll buy that,’ and they don’t. They say, ‘I’ll use that,’ and they won’t. Commitments matter. Words are cheap.”

The book stresses the importance of testing real commitment from customers, like pre-orders or referrals.

21.“Startups exist to learn. You want to be proven wrong as quickly and cheaply as possible.”

This underscores the value of learning fast through customer validation, even if that means discovering your initial idea was flawed.

22.“Until you’ve committed to the truth, you’re going to make bad decisions.”

A call to be open to whatever feedback you get, even if it challenges your assumptions.

23.“Your mom’s going to tell you it’s a great idea, and she’s going to be proud of you. But it’s irrelevant.”

This reinforces that biased feedback from friends and family isn’t useful in validating a business idea.

24.“Asking good questions takes practice. Expect to be awkward at first, but keep at it.”

It’s a skill that improves with time, so you need to put in the effort to get better at customer conversations.

25.“If you can’t get people to explain their problem to you, it’s probably not a problem.”

If customers can’t articulate their pain points, it’s likely that the problem isn’t significant enough for them to care about.

26.“Just because they liked your idea doesn’t mean they will open their wallet for it.”

A reminder that getting people to like your concept is not the same as getting them to actually buy or commit to it.

27.“People don’t care about your solution. They care about their problems.”

Focus on understanding the customer’s pain points rather than convincing them that your solution is the best.

28. “You should be terrified of anyone who answers ‘yes’ to your question of ‘would you buy this?’”

Verbal promises are not a reliable measure of future behaviour; only real commitments (like payments or sign-ups) count.

29.“The goal of your early-stage conversations is to learn what they’re already doing, rather than what they say they want.”

It’s important to understand customers’ current habits and pain points rather than hypothetical desires.

30.“Generous listening is not the same as being gullible.”

While it’s important to listen to customers, you should still critically evaluate what they say and how it aligns with real actions.

31.“Bad news is the best news. It tells you what you need to improve, rather than patting you on the back for what you’re already doing well.”

Negative feedback can be much more valuable than praise because it points you to areas for growth.

32.“People will lie to you without realizing they’re doing it, and it’s your job to figure out where the truth lies.”

Even well-intentioned people might give misleading feedback, so you need to be able to read between the lines.

33.“Questions like ‘Do you think it’s a good idea?’ or ‘Would you buy it?’ will give you unreliable answers.”

Such questions lead to polite but unreliable feedback. Instead, ask about past behaviour or real challenges.

34.“You don’t need permission to learn. You don’t need to talk to anyone or even build anything. You just need to observe.”

Observation of customers’ real-world behaviour is just as valuable as direct feedback.

35.“The best conversations don’t feel like interviews; they feel like learning about someone’s life.”

Keep customer interviews casual and natural to get more genuine and useful insights.

36.“It’s more important to learn what they want than to tell them what you’ve got.”

Prioritize learning over pitching, and focus on how you can help solve their real problems.

37.“When people give vague praise, follow up with a question like, ‘What do you mean by that?’”

Dig deeper when you receive non-specific feedback to get to the real meaning and valuable insights.

38.“The truth doesn’t count unless it’s painful to hear.”

Honest feedback often feels uncomfortable, but it’s the most useful in guiding you toward a better solution.

39.“Your product is something you create, but the business is something you discover.”

Building a business requires discovering what customers truly need and will pay for, not just creating a product.

40.“If you’re not scared of shipping it, you waited too long.”

This highlights the importance of launching your product early, even if it’s imperfect, to start gathering real feedback.

41.“You’re looking for people’s problems, not their opinions.”

Focus on identifying real problems that customers face, not their opinions about your idea or solution.

42.“When you hear the same issue multiple times, pay attention—it might be the gold you’re looking for.”

Repeated feedback signals a real problem that is worth solving.

43.“You can’t change someone’s behaviour, but you can make their existing behaviour easier or better.”

Instead of trying to get customers to adopt a new habit, focus on improving what they already do.

44.“The more specific someone’s problem, the more useful their feedback.”

General feedback isn’t helpful. Drill down into specific issues to gather actionable insights.

45.“The most dangerous lies are the ones you tell yourself.”

Be wary of ignoring negative feedback or convincing yourself that your idea is perfect without real validation.

46.“People buy solutions to their problems, not your idea or technology.”

Customers are interested in how your solution can help them solve a problem, not the brilliance of your concept.

47.“You need to dig beneath the surface of customer conversations to find the truth that will help you improve your business.”

Surface-level feedback often hides deeper insights, so always ask follow-up questions.

48.“If they can’t tell you how they solve the problem right now, it might not be a problem worth solving.”

Customers who don’t currently have a solution may not perceive the problem as urgent or important enough to pay for.

49.“Entrepreneurs often waste years because they’re chasing a problem that doesn’t exist.”

This emphasizes the importance of validating that a real problem exists before committing too much time or resources.

50.“It’s better to be proven wrong by facts than to waste time chasing fantasies.”

Embrace learning the truth, even if it means pivoting or discarding your original idea.

Here are other interesting and recommended reading list related to the themes explored in “The Mom Test”, for further reading:

1. Masters of Scale podcast summary: How AirBNB was handcrafted by Chesky & Co.
2. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries summary
3. Book summary of “Testing Business Ideas by

   David J. Bland & alexander osterwalder