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The Founder Must Use the Product

A blunt note on why startups slow down and fail when the founder does not use the company's own product.

From experience, one difference separates startups that do well from startups that fail: "Does the founder actually use the company's product or service?"

If the founder does not use it, the employees do not use it either. A product that is not dogfooded inside the company slows down and fails. Bugs that would have been noticed and fixed immediately if someone had used it are discovered only after customer support tickets come in after deployment. Obvious improvement points and priorities are sensed only after making a big production out of user interviews.

Are there really founders who go around to meetings without even installing or using their own company app? Yes, there really are. Many. And all of them could not avoid a collapse in enterprise value.

Please stop making things you will not use yourself. And please do not even think about making something you will not use and selling it to others.

June 3, 20262 minOriginal source