03
Test Before You Build
A cheap experiment beats an expensive assumption. Every time.
Never commit to something with a long, costly build before you've confirmed people actually want to buy it. The fastest path to fit is a small, real test in front of real customers.
The instinct is often to disappear for a year, build the “perfect” product, and unveil it in a big launch — very Steve Jobs. I followed that approach at an agency once, and I saw firsthand how quickly it can kill a company if the product misses the mark. That lesson stuck.
So when I built my first product, I knew better. Instead of isolating for long cycles, I chose a different approach: prototype quickly, get it in front of real users, and let their behaviour — not their politeness — tell me what's actually working.
People often won't mislead you intentionally, but they will tell you what feels kind rather than what is true. That creates false positives, and those can quietly pull you in the wrong direction. Be careful about mistaking encouragement for validation.
01
Prototype fast
Build the smallest, cheapest version that lets someone have the real experience. Low cost in, high learning out.
02
Get real feedback
Watch actual customers in an actual buying context. Real visitors, real money, real reactions — not friends being kind.
03
Kill your darlings
If it doesn't pull people in on its own, cut it. No emotional attachment. The thing you love least often outperforms the thing you love most.
How Phenomena did it
We rented a mall store and watched.
Before raising a dollar or committing to a roadmap, we took a small retail space in a mall, built cheap VR prototypes, and ran them on weekends. We watched strangers walk up, play, and react. One question mattered above all others: did they want to play again?
That single experiment validated our customer before any investor money was at risk. It saved us months and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars — this was the most important decision we ever made.
The pivot it forced
The mall told us something we didn't want to hear. The version we were proud of was the version that failed. Here's what changed when we stopped arguing with the market:
The flop
Solo VR experiences
- Players felt isolated and self-conscious
- No social energy in the room
- Very few people came back
- Zero word-of-mouth from operators
- It felt like an awkward tech demo
The hit
Free-roam multiplayer
- Groups competed, laughed, came back
- Social energy filled the whole venue
- Strong repeat visits and group bookings
- Operators saw measurable revenue lift
- It became a destination experience
The lesson: fit isn't found in a boardroom. It's found in a real room, with real people, doing the thing and most importantly of all, paying real money.
