Nice-to-Have’ is Death

Here’s How to Force ‘Must-Have’ Status

June 11, 2025

Hey — It’s Charlie.

Welcome to the latest edition of Great Startups! Here’s what’s in store:

  • Data from 240 software and AI companies: The state of B2B monetization in 2025.

  • Survey: How Tech workers really feel about work right now.

  • Vibe Coding: How to get most of it.

  • The $500 Hack: Your Startup Doesn’t Need a Fancy Name—Just a Working Credit Card Limit

  • Targeting Made Simple: A step-by-step guide to finding your perfect customer.

  • Hidden Startup Debt: The silent killer that’s slowing growth.

Get ready to dive into these power-packed insights for founders and growth enthusiasts!

Resources

  • The state of B2B monetization in 2025. (LINK)

  • More or Less: The three pricing strategies. (LINK)

  • David Park on how to get your first customer (and millions more). (LINK)

  • David Politis on doing whatever it takes to stay in the game (LINK)

  • Sam Blond on how to generate more demand. (LINK)

ICYMI

  • TikTok launches ‘TikTok for Artists,’ a new music insights platform. (LINK)

  • Netflix is getting into short videos with a new vertical feed for mobile. (LINK)

  • Anthropic’s Claude can now read your Gmail. (LINK)

  • The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained. (LINK)

  • 1X will test humanoid robots in ‘a few hundred’ homes in 2025. (LINK)

  • Ray Dalio built a $14B empire by following core success principles that took him from humble beginnings to founding the world’s largest hedge fund.

  • Iman Gadzhi and Pierre de Preux launched a SaaS and hit 7-figure ARR in 9 months by moving fast, using Iman’s audience, and solving a real problem.

  • Lenny Rachitsky and Jen Abel on how to approach founder-led sales.

  • Carta shares 50 slides packed with insights for founders from 45,000 startups.

  • How One AI App Founder Makes $20K+ Monthly—and How You Can Too!

Everyone Said It Was a Genius Idea. Then Reality Hit.

You’ve heard it before: "Solve a pain point, and customers will come." But here’s the hard truth—just because people agree something’s a problem doesn’t mean they’ll pay to fix it. Take Damballa: killer cybersecurity tech, $60M in funding, yet nobody bought. Why? Because while security teams acknowledged the threat, they tolerated it. That’s the trap—pain alone doesn’t drive action. Real validation comes from authentic demand: when your product isn’t just helpful but unavoidable. Think Slack (teams can’t collaborate without it) or Notion (entire workflows depend on it). The key? Find situations where people can’t not use what you’re building.

So how do you spot real demand? Ditch hypotheticals ("Would you buy this?") and dig into actual behavior. Shadow users, document their janky workarounds, and run "takeaway tests"—if they panic when you remove their duct-tape solution, you’ve struck gold. No product? No problem. Use "concierge MVPs" (manual service) or "painted door" tests (fake it till you validate). Look for emotional spikes, process breakdowns, or regulatory must-haves. If 3–5 B2B customers prepay or 20% of users get hooked fast, you’re onto something. No traction? Pivot early. The goal isn’t to be right—it’s to find where you’re needed. Skip the guesswork, build less, and win bigger. (LINK)

Ok that’s it for this week, We keep refining our newsletter content, just hit reply to let us know what you think about this issue.