The go-to-market evidence gap
Assumptions that look reasonable can still destroy budget.
Teams usually assume
- A channel will work because it worked elsewhere.
- A price will convert because competitors charge it.
- Demand exists because the market looks large.
Acquisition channels
Repeatable acquisition matters more than one-off spikes.
Validate whether users arrive through
- Channels that keep working without launch effects.
- Mechanics that do not depend on founder push.
- Sources that can scale without distortion.
Monetisation assumptions
Pricing confidence without payment behaviour is still assumption.
Test
- Whether users accept a fixed paid offer.
- Whether conversion holds without negotiation.
- Whether the product earns commitment, not just compliments.
Organic versus paid demand
Paid acquisition can hide weak pull.
Real pull looks like
- Unsolicited referrals.
- Users actively seeking the product.
- Demand that still exists when paid stimulation drops.
Validation-first GTM
Validate each assumption before you scale the execution layer around it.
Run the sequence
- Test acquisition with small experiments.
- Test pricing with real offers.
- Test retention without reminders.
- Only then scale the channel or budget.