What does early traction look like?

Read time: 2.5 minutes

Back in the day when we were launching our first startup, I was in a coffee place with my co-founders discussing our next version release. While we were talking, a guy approached our table and asked if we were working on our startup. We said yes, he seemed excited and invited us to have coffee with him the week after. We then asked his name and realized it was none other than Jeff Pulver, co-founder of Vonage and pioneer of VoIP.

When we met, we took him through our app, the plans we had for growth, and the feature roadmap. Understanding that our startup was at a very early stage for him to invest, instead of pitching, we asked for advice. The advice he gave us is something that I’ve taken with me throughout my professional and entrepreneurial career. This is what he said...