The truth is, founders can get busy in recognition, awards and giving out free trials.
Things like webinars, social media posts, guides, videos, pitch competitions, showcasing in events and giving away something useful seems like the only meaningful way to get attention in a world full of noise.
That is exactly why innovation can feel like an act.
This approach looks like progress in the right direction. It uses the right language and the right tools.
But underneath, there is something else entirely. It quietly convinces founders are reaching out to TAM/SAM and SOM, when in reality, they are just building more things to hide behind.
You can spend weeks designing the perfect guide. You can polish the page, obsess over every word, rehearse every slide. It feels productive, seriously feels like momentum.
But in truth, it is not actually reaching your customer (paying).
It is just building another product looking for a fit.
And like every product, it only matters if users show up.
That is why founders fall in love with this approach. It creates the feeling of traction without forcing them to do the uncomfortable work of getting in front of people to convert them to customers or get rejected or criticised.
One can point to what they launched and say, “Look, we are moving.” Meanwhile, founders are quietly ignoring the absence of revenue growth.
I have seen this pattern everywhere including in my own business.
Like perfecting an app, website or a pitch deck without conversion of users to paying customers.
Finding new AI tools or hiring a designer, making more nicer pitch deck before booking one investor meeting.
The first-time entrepreneur who sinks savings into prototype or inventory before testing if anyone actually wants it.
The pattern is always the same, I have done it before many times.
We choose work that feels safe, polished, and measurable instead of facing the real challenge of finding people who actually care.
This is the trap I keep warning myself about (and have to remind myself of regularly)
So, it is not about what founders build. but about whether anyone is paying attention.
A webinar or POC does not solve awareness.
A website or manual does not create an audience.
A free trial does not magically produce demand.
These are just tools. And tools are useless if no one picks to use them and gives us critical feedback.
The companies that succeed are not winning because their slides are slick or their materials are beautifully designed. They win because they already figured out how to reach people and get them to take a real step forward to talk, try, buy, or commit.
That work is hard. And because it is hard, most founders try to postpone or skip it.
Building something shiny feels hard, but it is easy as it makes one feel like progress.
One can do it in few weeks. Learning how to consistently capture attention of users and refining as per feedback takes months, sometimes years.
Once founder truly understand how to get user’s attention and move them to action, they can fill a room, launch almost anything, and grow with intention.
Until then keep building things nobody may ever see or test.
I have designed over 100,000 watches and launched the world’s fastest desktop gaming PC; I am not ashamed to admit that it did not lead to sustainable business.
Trust me, it is a painful way to learn.
