Stop Guessing — Talk to Your Users

Data is powerful.
But data without context is just numbers pretending to be truth.

I’ve seen founders spend months tweaking features, changing pricing, or rewriting copy — all based on assumptions from dashboards…
…without talking to a single user.

Here’s the reality:

Your users will tell you exactly what’s wrong, exactly what’s working, and exactly what they’ll pay for — but only if you ask.

And no, a survey buried at the bottom of your email newsletter doesn’t count.

Why Founders Avoid Talking to Users

1️⃣ Fear of Hearing the Truth

If you’ve poured your soul (and savings) into your product, you don’t want to hear that it’s confusing, overpriced, or unwanted. But avoiding feedback doesn’t make the problems go away.

2️⃣ Hiding Behind Metrics

Analytics tell you what happened. They rarely tell you why. A drop in retention could mean bugs, poor onboarding, wrong market fit, or all of the above. You can’t know without asking.

3️⃣ Assuming You Already Know

Founders often think they are their user. That’s dangerous. Your perspective is warped by inside knowledge. You know where every button is — they don’t.

4️⃣ Believing It’s “Not Scalable”

Early-stage isn’t about scalability. It’s about understanding. You can’t optimise for efficiency until you know what actually works.

5️⃣ Outsourcing Empathy

Some teams think customer support or community managers “handle” user input. Big mistake — the product team and founders need to hear feedback firsthand.

Bottom line:

Avoiding your users is like driving blindfolded. You might get somewhere, but odds are you’ll crash first.

How to Actually Talk to Your Users (Without Wasting Their Time)

✅ 1. Pick the Right People

Don’t just talk to your loudest customers — talk to:

• New users (fresh perspective)
• Power users (deep insight)
• Churned users (brutal honesty)

✅ 2. Ask Open, Honest Questions

Avoid leading questions like “Do you like our new feature?”
Instead, ask:

• “What’s the hardest part about using right now?”
• “If you could change one thing instantly, what would it be?”
• “What were you hoping to get when you signed up?”

✅ 3. Listen More Than You Talk

Your job isn’t to defend your product — it’s to learn.
Take notes. Record calls (with permission). Let them finish their thoughts without interrupting.

✅ 4. Dig Into the “Why”

If they say “It’s slow,” ask “What makes it feel slow?”
If they say “Too expensive,” ask “Compared to what?”

✅ 5. Close the Loop

If a user gives feedback and you act on it, tell them.
It shows you’re listening and makes them more likely to help again.

💡 Pro tip: 10 good user interviews will give you more clarity than 1,000 Google Analytics sessions.

The 3 Feedback Channels Every Startup Should Have

1️⃣ Direct Conversations

• Schedule monthly or quarterly calls with a rotating set of users.
• Keep them short (15–20 mins) and focused on learning, not selling.

2️⃣ In-Product Feedback Prompts

• Small, context-based prompts (“Was this helpful?” or “What’s missing here?”) give you real-time insights.
• Keep them frictionless — no 20-question forms.

3️⃣ Community or Open Forum

• Slack, Discord, or a forum where users can share ideas, ask questions, and report issues.
• Watch patterns: if 5 people complain about the same thing in a week, you’ve got a priority.

One more thing!

You can’t build a product for people you never speak to.
You can’t fix problems you only see in charts.

Talking to your users isn’t optional — it’s oxygen for your business.

🚀 Founder Challenge

1. This week — Schedule 3 calls with users (new, active, churned).
2. This month — Identify your top 3 product issues from those calls.
3. This quarter — Implement at least 1 change directly from user feedback and tell them about it.

Final Word:

Guessing is gambling.
Talking to your users is the closest thing to a cheat code you’ll get in startups.