A closer look
Most people think you need to build first and then sell. Entrepreneurs who succeed often flip that rule: they sell the *idea* first. By offering pre-sales or demos, they discover if strangers will open their wallets before wasting years perfecting an unneeded product. Think of it as tossing a fishing line before building the boat—you only build once you know there are fish. History’s scrappiest startups thrived by testing demand upfront, learning the great secret that selling possibility can fund reality itself.
