When talking to first-time entrepreneurs, I often ask them: “How do you know that people want your product or service?” As you can expect, the answer is often that they don’t yet, but will know once they launch. And they’re right. That’s why it’s critical to launch as quickly as possible so you can get that feedback. Throw those bells and whistles out the window; you can add them later. Get your product in front of actual, living, breathing strangers. Your college roommate’s approval does not mean there’s market demand.
One of the top causes of startup death—right after cofounder problems—is building something no one wants. And it’s a sad fact of entrepreneurship that a fancy marketing budget and a lot of launch buzz can conspire to hide that issue. Launch early and often; learn as much as possible about how strangers use your product; and test, test, test.