We ask similar a question in product development.

How do we know if a solution is working?

But first, let’s talk about the comedians. Comedians continuously find new jokes so they can keep their shows fresh. Not an easy task, but it’s the best feeling in the world for some comedians when they make it work.

So how do they know if a joke is funny? Well, they put it out to the world. They tell the joke to their friends.

Observe the reaction.

Iterate.

So back to building products and business.

You can keep designing that idea in a vacuum. You can imagine how the solution will make a positive impact. But, those are all your hypothesis until you put the solution out there.

So the takeaway here is simple: You won't know whether your solution is working before you put it out there. Put it between you and the people you seek to serve.

But you do it in a way that helps you reduce the risk. Just like comedians, they tell their friends. Slowly iterate based on that. Once they're ready, you can come up to the large stage and tell it to the audience.

You identify the riskiest assumptions that your solution carries. Test it, refine it. Continue to the next one.

P.S. Hi friends,

Last week was fun. I literally learned how to record a video and edit them. I learned how to talk in front of the camera—a bit awkward, but getting better now. I did this because I need to record the learning material for Crafters.

Crafters have 32 members so far. Still small, but I'm so excited to keep growing this learning community.

Anyway, building a business and a community is really fun. Of course, it’s intense and nerve-wracking to run all this. But it has been a wonderful experience to build the operations, the community, and the learning program. I'm pretty sure some of you are in the entrepreneur journey as well. I hope you continue doing the important work.

Keep testing, keep learning, keep iterating. Good luck

—Budi

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How do you know if a joke is funny?