When Should You Trust Your Gut?

Dalton contrasts founders who have built a valuable tool inside a company with founders who are searching for an idea without deep experience in a particular area. He says advice about trusting instincts depends on which situation a founder is in.

Founders who have solved a problem themselves, built tools people use, or developed strong opinions in a field can rely more on their judgment. Dalton suggests making something they would be proud of, using their own standards as an early test of quality.

Founders with few strong or distinctive opinions may not yet have expertise to guide what they build. They can start in a promising area with a simple plan, stay open-minded, and learn from users as they go.

A founder with years of experience in mortgage underwriting may have sound instincts about what underwriters need. Founders without industry experience should be more cautious about prescribing a solution and should start small to learn.

Dalton describes experienced founders who discount what they know, including changing a product idea to seem more fundable, and inexperienced founders who plan a complex solution before learning the field. The advice is to assess whether you are bringing expertise or building it, then shape your MVP and learning plan accordingly.