Founders often make the mistake of being afraid to charge for their product, fearing customer rejection. However, charging customers is one of the most effective ways to learn about your business, including whether users are willing to pay and which customer segments are most excited to pay.

Charging customers is essential for validating your product's value. Offering free trials can be tempting, but if customers aren't paying, they aren't truly customers. Resist the fear of rejection based on price.

Founders often prioritize getting feedback over generating revenue, leading them to avoid charging for their product.

Start with a high price point to gauge market willingness; many founders are surprised by how much customers will pay for their product.

I encourage founders to practice charging for their product early on. By simulating a transaction, they can become comfortable with the process of asking for payment, which prepares them for real customer interactions later.

Startups should use freemium pricing by offering free features for individual users while charging for team collaboration features, which can help in acquiring users effectively.

To gauge if people are willing to pay for a product before it's fully developed, I asked potential users what they would give for access, which led to creative responses.

Charging for your product shouldn't come from fear of losing customers; it should be based on understanding its value to users.

If you're going to charge for a product, it needs to be self-serve and frictionless for users. Many startups fail because they rely too heavily on founder involvement for customer acquisition.