Founders have a fundamental role in customer discovery

<p><a class="wikilink" href="/customer_discovery/">Customer Discovery</a> must be driven by the founders of a company. It is their vision that is driving the creation of products, and therefore it makes no sense to outsource it, even to early employees. </p> <p>It is important to go out of the building (see manifesto in: <a class="wikilink" href="/customer_development/">Customer Development</a>) both literally and figuratively. </p> <p>And it is important that founders are the ones leading the process because only they have a vested interest in the outcome. Consultants or early employees may struggle (both because of incentives and responsibilities) to channel the appropriate information back.</p>