Working with nearly 20 startups, we helped them understand two key principles for surviving in the market.
1. Sell first, then complete the product
Not "make the product great, then sell" — sell first, then add to the product based on customers' wishes. Recently a startup founder said, "after I started selling, I felt like a real founder."
About 9 months ago I told them "start selling," made content, and ran targeting for them. There were pivots along the way. Now they're doing active lead generation and sales again — they hired a salesperson and focused mainly on selling and customer needs. MYSCHOOLUZ is the same: it first sold to 2–3 customers, the product was completed based on customer pain, then lead generation restarted.
2. You can sell (test) a product that doesn't exist yet
It may sound strange, but in international markets startups test their idea in the market before it's even born. We've tested more than 10 such products, and there are cases where people actually paid and joined a wishlist in advance.
This is validating demand with money: if someone pays before the product exists, demand is real. This approach protects the investment.
Conclusion
The common essence of both principles is one: don't sit polishing the product to "perfection." Sell first, or at least validate demand with money, then build based on customer pain. That's how a startup survives in the market.