Avoiding Pointless Work

So, I’ve gotten a bare bones proof-of-concept piece of code for the mobile coupon app I have.  I started going off into the weeds of all the details such as what features to include and how to implement them when I had a moment of clarity and stopped myself.

Every experienced entrepreneur that I’ve heard from suggests validating a product idea first.  Yeah, I skipped that step, but I can stop my development and go have an actual conversation with a potential customer…or 10 before I end up spending 3 months developing something that nobody wants.

Now working up the courage to strike up a conversation with a business owner about how I might be able to help them with a yet-to-be-completed piece of software is going to be tough for an introvert like me, but I really don’t have anything to lose and the worst that could happen to me is that they tell me that they’re not interested or that my idea is dumb.  Yeah, when I actually say it like that it seems much less scary.

The thing I want to find out is whether or not I’m even trying to solve a real problem.  Maybe I end up creating something completely different, but if I get a piece of software sold…even to one person then I’ll call this year a success as far as my entrepreneurial goals are concerned.