The honesty test

Before you set your first price, answer one question. Honestly.

"Would my customer pay this if I personally walked up to them, looked them in the eye, and asked?"

If yes, the price is real. If you'd feel embarrassed asking for it, the price is wrong, either too high or too low.

The most common failure mode: setting it to $0 because the builder feels weird charging for "their first product." That's not a price decision. That's fear hiding behind one. The product becomes a charity. The customer becomes a recipient. Neither party respects the relationship. Worse, the customer doesn't bother using the product because they didn't pay for it.

Second most common: setting it to $19/month "because that's what real apps charge." That's imitation hiding behind a price decision. The customer doesn't see it as $19 of value. They see a 14-year-old's experimental tool that's audaciously priced like Notion. They close the tab.

The right first price is one you'd be willing to say out loud to a specific human standing in front of you. If you can't say it out loud without flinching, it's wrong.