The early signal I trust more than sign-ups
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After a launch, sign-ups are an easy number to watch.
But early on, I’m finding a different signal more useful: whether someone can clearly describe the problem they hoped the product would solve.
A sign-up can mean curiosity. A specific workflow, a frustrating workaround, or a reason they need a better solution feels closer to real demand.
So I’m trying to spend less time refreshing a dashboard and more time asking:
What were you doing before?
What made you look for a solution now?
Where does the current process break down?
What would make you come back next week?
For founders who have been at this stage: what early signal told you that someone might become a real user, before you had enough data to rely on?
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One signal I've started paying attention to is when users begin describing their workflow instead of asking about features. Once someone says, "I use this while researching" or "This saves me from scrolling through 100+ prompts," the conversation shifts from curiosity to actual value. For me, that's been a stronger indicator than sign-ups alone.