See what people do.
Find where the journey breaks and listen to the people living through it.
QUICK FIELD CHECK / 1
What's actually going wrong?
Choose the pattern that feels closest. This gives you a starting question, not a diagnosis.
SYMPTOM > QUESTION > EVIDENCE
WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR PRODUCT?
THE PROBLEM
You've shipped. Now the signals are mixed.
When traction stalls, every possible fix starts to look urgent.
DISCOVERYVisitors look, then leave.
ACTIVATIONSignups don't become active users.
RETENTIONFirst-time users don't return.
GROWTHGrowth depends on one-off effort.
Don't diagnose from a symptom. Investigate the evidence.
THE EVIDENCE LOOP
Observe. Test. Decide.
One way to make the next move more deliberate: learn what is happening, challenge a specific assumption, then decide what the result warrants.
Challenge one assumption.
Choose a focused experiment that could change your current view.
Make the next call.
Use what you learned to build, change course, scale or stop.
THE BOOK / A FIELD GUIDE
When your startup stops making sense, start here.
Stop Building, Start Validating is for founders who have already made something real and want a clearer way to make sense of weak traction. Follow the questions, look for stronger signals and choose a next step you can defend.
DIAGNOSE the constraintTEST what mattersDECIDE what's next
Explore the book >THREE WAYS TO READ
Available now on Amazon in Kindle, paperback and hardcover.
Kindle
Read wherever you are.
$9.99USD
Get KindlePaperback
Write all over it.
$19.99USD
Get PaperbackHardcover
Keep it on the desk.
$29.99USD
Get HardcoverPRODUCT WORK / SELECTED
The thinking behind the work.
Alongside writing, I work in product management. The portfolio shows how I approach product questions and decisions, including work on Mentra.
Explore selected work >WORK WITH ME
Bring the problem you're trying to solve.
If you're facing weak activation, retention or distribution, we can examine what you know, identify what you still need to learn and shape a focused next experiment.
Explore consultingA USEFUL STARTING POINT
Leave with a clearer question.
- What evidence points to the constraint?
- Which assumption is most consequential?
- What small test could change your mind?
EXPERIMENT 1 / FOUNDING RESEARCH
I'm building something for founders stuck after launch. But I'm not building it yet.
I'm speaking with founders about how they discover what blocks traction and decide where to focus. Your experience can help test whether there's a useful product to make.
This is an early exploration, not a finished product or a promise of access.
Join the founding research >FIELD NOTES / INSIGHTS
Questions worth writing about.
FEATURED / TRACTION & RETENTION
Why users try your product once and don't return
A way to investigate the gap between first use and lasting value.
Read the field note >PRODUCT VALIDATION
A product problem or a distribution problem?
Read >CUSTOMER DISCOVERY
Customer praise isn't product demand
Read >
JOSHUA AJIEH / AUTHOR & PRODUCT MANAGER
I build products too. That's why I wrote this.
I've seen how easy it is to confuse shipping with learning. I wrote this book to help founders ask better questions when the product is live and the answers are still unclear.
THE NEXT MOVE
What evidence would change your mind?
Begin with the book. Bring a live problem to consulting. Or help shape the next experiment.