When starting a company, it's crucial to validate your idea rigorously rather than relying on superficial methods like cold emailing a large number of people.

To validate a product idea, consider building a minimal version or a related feature rather than a full product, allowing for quicker feedback. Sales is a powerful way to validate interest in a product; getting someone to commit to paying upfront is one of the most validating actions you can take.

I encourage founders to validate their ideas by talking to potential customers before writing any code or raising money.

I decided to pursue my startup idea because it kept gaining momentum, despite the challenges I faced. I set up my startup as a four-week test to validate my idea without high expectations.

I started with a simple tech stack using free tools to test my idea, which led to my first bookings and rapid growth in my service.

You can validate ideas or build products without coding; for example, I started Product Hunt as an email list, which was a quick way to gauge interest.

In the early stages of a startup, the goal is to move quickly to validate that I'm building something people want, as this allows for faster pivots and scaling once product-market fit is achieved.

I launched Airbnb in August 2008 without a presentation deck, relying solely on the live website, which ultimately failed during a pitch to an investor.

You don't need a bank account or incorporation to start testing your idea; just get something out there and try it with a few customers to validate your concept.