Build In Public University

Entrepreneurship / Lesson 05

Lesson 05 · School of Entrepreneurship

Conversations are instruments

Listen for cost, not compliments

Ask about the past

“Would you use this?” is a forecast. “Tell me about the last time this happened” is evidence. Ask what they did, who was involved, and what it cost.

Do not pitch too early

The first useful silence is often the moment before the founder explains the product. Let the person finish describing their world.

Listen for workarounds

A repeated workaround beats a stated preference. A budget, calendar block, escalation, or previous purchase is stronger still.

Log disconfirmation

Record the answer that would make you change the offer. If every conversation supports the original idea, the method is protecting you.

Do the work

Use a log with situation, current behavior, cost, trigger, authority, exact language, commitment requested, answer, and changed belief.

Falsifier: If this lesson makes you feel more certain but does not change the next observable action, it has probably become motivation content instead of an operating tool.

This is a working course document combining first-principles reasoning with observations from BIPU work. It is not a guarantee of business success. Ask what would falsify it.