Hey friends 👋
Every Friday at noon Pacific, the venture scientists at the Traction Lab go live to answer your startup questions and help make sense of the mess between idea and traction.
This week, we tackled something founders don’t talk about enough:
What happens when early traction looks good… but doesn’t actually go anywhere.
Because not all signals are created equal. A “yes” from a customer doesn’t always mean commitment. Usage doesn’t always mean urgency. And too many startups mistake polite interest for real demand.
Here’s what we dug into:
How to tell when a traction signal is shallow (and what to do about it)
Why founders tend to over-credit early users who are “supportive” but not committed
How to use depth interviews and layered validation to reveal actual buying behavior
When to stop chasing more signals and double down on better ones
The difference between data that flatters vs data that informs
How to ask second-order questions that surface friction and motivation
If your startup has early validation but not a lot of movement — or if your traction feels more like a warm hug than a shove forward — this one’s worth a listen.
Join us Fridays at noon PST on LinkedIn for live office hours. We’ll be adding more office hours on different platforms in the next few weeks.
Bring your confusion. I’ll bring frameworks.
— Cam & jdm
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