> Sometimes it feels like the people giving feedback are just too eager to please you with positive feedback.
This is an important observation. As someone once said, "no one wants to crush your dreams". If you present people an idea for a business plan, most people will say that is sounds very interesting, nice opportunity, they'd definitely consider buying that, etc. If you show them something you made, they will say it's great and politely have a little conversation about it.
It is very easy for perennially optimistic (/self-deluded) entrepreneurial types to take this kind of feedback as validation, when in fact it is nothing of the sort. The only validation is this: Are they giving you money for it? That is when you know you've made something of value, not a second before.
This is an important observation. As someone once said, "no one wants to crush your dreams". If you present people an idea for a business plan, most people will say that is sounds very interesting, nice opportunity, they'd definitely consider buying that, etc. If you show them something you made, they will say it's great and politely have a little conversation about it.
It is very easy for perennially optimistic (/self-deluded) entrepreneurial types to take this kind of feedback as validation, when in fact it is nothing of the sort. The only validation is this: Are they giving you money for it? That is when you know you've made something of value, not a second before.