Don't Let Investors Become Your Customers

<p>In today's Startup Therapy Podcast, Wil and Ryan discuss why you shouldn’t let investors become your customers. When you prioritize investor demands over customer needs in pursuit of additional funding, you risk losing touch with your market's true requirements. This could lead to developing products or services that don't align with customer expectations, potentially resulting in poor adoption and revenue generation. Over time, prioritizing investor preferences over customer feedback could erode customer trust and loyalty, negatively impacting your long-term business sustainability.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Sign up for the Startups Newsletter</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.startups.com/newsletter"><strong>https://www.startups.com/newsletter</strong></a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Resources:</strong></p><ul> <li> <a href="https://www.startups.com/community/startup-therapy">Startup Therapy Podcast</a><strong> </strong> </li> <li><a href="https://www.startups.com/begin">https://www.startups.com/begin</a></li> <li>Join our <a href="https://www.startups.com/community/founder-groups">Network of Top Founders</a> </li> <li>Check in with us on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/startups-co/">LinkedIn</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilschroter/">Wil Schroter</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-rutan/">Ryan Rutan</a> </li> </ul><p><br></p><p><strong>What to Listen For</strong></p><ul> <li>00:00 Intro</li> <li>01:12 Optimizing for what investors want</li> <li>02:13 Two types of investor feedback</li> <li>03:47 Being in the capital raising business</li> <li>04:53 What happens when you pitch to investors vs. provide to customers</li> <li>06:10 “You’re just as vulnerable at the beginning of fundraising as you are at the end of fundraising…”</li> <li>07:44 The investors don’t matter to the business</li> <li>09:10 Jumping on trend for the money</li> <li>16:37 Investors have a different game that they’re playing</li> <li>18:15 Investor Optics vs. Customer Value</li> <li>22:11 Navigati