Initial Expectations


What Are You Hoping Will Happen?

Every idea begins with a hunch — a gut feeling that this could work. Before you move forward, it’s important to capture what you expect to happen. This gives you a baseline for comparison when feedback rolls in. It also reveals your hidden assumptions — which is gold when you start validating.

Get Your Thoughts on Paper

Don’t worry about being “right.” Just write. These expectations aren’t a promise — they’re a snapshot of your mindset before the rubber meets the road.

  1. Market: Who do you think will care about this?
  2. Behavior: What do you expect people to do when they hear your idea?
  3. Value: Why do you think they’ll say “yes”?
  4. Outcome: What does success look like in your mind?

Example From the Field

A startup building a voice-based journaling app expected users to use it daily for mental clarity. But when they launched, users only opened it once or twice a week — when they were stressed. It wasn’t a failure. It was a signal to shift the product from “daily tool” to “emotional reset button.” Their expectations helped them interpret early usage without panic.

Make It Yours

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