Don’t mistake market size for validation. In the early days, it’s easy to confuse market size with demand for your startup. It’s hard not to when you see all the tweets and articles about your space. The confirmation bias kicks in, and you get all excited about the possibilities. While it is always a good idea to get excited about your startup, the buzz around a space is rarely a validation for your startup or idea.

The hype around the creator economy is a good example. Startups building for creators seems to be celebrating every new article that comes out about the space as if it’s a direct validation of their startup. I’ve made this mistake and I’m not doing it again.