The Mom Test
How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business Is a Good Idea When Everyone Is Lying to You
Ask about their life, not your idea, to get honest answers.
1 founder on the eChai network recommends The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick teaches founders how to interview potential customers without biasing the answers, even when people are inclined to be polite and lie to you. The core idea is to ask about the customer's actual life and past behavior rather than pitching your idea and fishing for validation. It is a short, practical guide to running conversations that produce real, decision-grade information.
Most founders accidentally collect false validation that leads them to build the wrong thing. This book gives a simple, repeatable method for customer conversations that actually test whether an idea is worth pursuing.
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The Mom Test comes up again and again when experienced founders are asked what early stage founders should read.
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What is The Mom Test about?
Most founders accidentally collect false validation that leads them to build the wrong thing. This book gives a simple, repeatable method for customer conversations that actually test whether an idea is worth pursuing.
Who recommends The Mom Test?
1 founder on the eChai network has read and recommends it.
Where can I find books founders recommend?
The eChai founder bookshelf ranks the books founders in the network recommend to each other.
