In the prototype stage, focus on identifying your best first customer.

It's crucial to engage with customers early on, as they can provide valuable feedback that helps you build a better product than if you just focus on perfecting the prototype first.

It's important to gather user feedback early, even with a prototype, to ensure you're addressing real problems and providing value to your customers.

Test your solution with target customers, being flexible about who those customers might be based on feedback.

When creating a prototype, prioritize speed and simplicity over perfection; aim to identify the core value of your product quickly, as you may discard most of your initial code.

During the idea stage, it's crucial to find your first users who have a specific problem.

To start your dev tools company, focus on building a prototype and talking to users; feedback is essential to refine your idea and product.

Rapid prototyping and user testing are essential; focus on getting a functional prototype out quickly, using tools to create clickable mock-ups or writing throwaway code to test ideas with users, as building a fully functional product before testing can be an expensive mistake.

Choosing your customers is crucial; if you aim to attract anyone, you risk failure. Instead, focus on a specific audience and understand their needs and characteristics to shape your product effectively.