At our January 28th Startup School session, we kicked off the semester with a conversation that cut straight to the core of early-stage building: sales first, mindset always.
The message was clear. If you want to build something real, you have to learn how to ask.
Sales Starts Earlier Than You Think
Most founders assume sales begin after a product is finished. TJ Allison reframed this immediately. Sales starts the moment you begin talking to customers. Before building, you should be validating a simple question: Is this problem worth paying to solve. Don't forget, people buy for three reasons:
1. To grow revenue. 2. To reduce costs. 3. To control risk
Asking Is a Skill
Many early founders struggle with the same internal blockers: “What if it’s too early?” “What if the market is saturated?” “What if I don’t know enough about this industry?” “What if I need funding before I can sell?”
Progress does not come from eliminating uncertainty. It comes from acting inside it. When you ask, mix confidence with vulnerability. Be clear about where you want to go and be honest about what you do not yet have. Certainty about direction matters more than certainty about details.
Sales Is Emotional Work
TJ spent a significant amount of time discussing something founders often ignore: emotional resilience. Rejection is unavoidable. If you have real conviction that your product helps people, you cannot quit at the first “no.” But persistence only works if you are taking care of yourself.
Sales is not just an external skill. It is an internal game.
Sell the Vision Before the Product
One of TJ’s strongest pushes was toward pre-selling. Ask directly: “If I build this, will you buy it?” You do not need a perfect product to sell. Founders often worry about overpromising. TJ’s advice: most founders actually need to be more audacious, not less. Ambition does not hurt your reputation. Lack of belief does. Err toward boldness. Shoot for the stars. Even if you miss, you land somewhere far more interesting than if you aimed small.
Looking Ahead
Our next Startup School session on February 19th will go deep on building and leveraging your network, asking for warm intros, and creating systems to consistently expand your surface area for opportunity.
If January was about learning to ask, February will be about learning who to ask and how to reach them. RSVP here to attend our next Startup School Workshop with John Hill.
Come ready to be audacious.
Listen to the longer audio version of this article read by Yanaiya Jain below:
