When you’re in the business of building a platform or product, there’s a line you’ll often hear but don’t always see in practice: “Eat your own dog food.” It’s a somewhat unflattering way to say founders should use their own creations. Yet, when done right, this practice isn’t just philosophical fluff; it can be the difference between products that succeed and those that stumble out of the gate.
Using your own product as a founder allows you to test it with real-world application. It lets you see its strengths, unravel its weaknesses, and course-correct before handing it over to users. This hands-on approach also builds trust with your users, revealing honesty and dedication to delivering something worth their time and money. Let’s explore why this practice is not optional but essential for building better products.
Identifying Gaps Starts With First-Hand Use
Imagine you’re designing a navigation app but have never actually used it to get anywhere yourself. How would you know if the directions were confusing or if a crucial feature, like real-time rerouting, was missing? By relying on theory alone, you risk overlooking the gaps that real usage would uncover.
That’s why founders need to lead by example and use their product routinely. When you’re navigating it as a regular user would, you see firsthand where the experience falters.
Consider the example of Ben Chestnut, co-founder of Mailchimp. Early in Mailchimp’s development, he and his team manually tested all email templates for usability. By running small business campaigns themselves, they noticed that some features were harder to use than expected. This early effort led to a more intuitive product that catered to their customer base of similarly small businesses.
When founders skip this step, their blind spots risk becoming user frustrations. Whether it’s unresponsive features, convoluted language, or missing functions, you only know what needs fixing after you’ve tried it for yourself.
Building Trust Through Transparency
Would you trust a chef who’s never tasted their own dish? Or a fitness coach who’s never tried their own workout regimen? Probably not. The same logic applies to founders asking their customers to trust their product.
Using your own platform is a demonstration of belief in what you’ve created. It shows you’re not just a seller but a user, equally invested in making the product work as well as it can. This transparency resonates deeply with users, as it communicates integrity and accountability.
Tesla’s Elon Musk famously took this approach. At one point, he lived in a prefabricated, ultra-sustainable tiny house built by Boxabl, a startup Tesla was rumored to be working with. While unconventional, this choice highlighted Musk’s commitment to the same principles of sustainability that Tesla clients value.
When customers see that a founder has skin in the game, trust follows. It’s the small but significant detail of actively standing behind your promises.
Refining User Experience With Real-World Context
No amount of theoretical planning can prepare you for how users will actually interact with your product. People will always press buttons you didn’t think they’d press or interpret instructions differently than expected.
That’s where real-world application comes in. Using your product daily helps you break down and simplify user flows. Ask yourself:
- Does the messaging make sense?
- Are complex features intuitive?
- Is it easy to identify the next step?
For example, Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, famously went door-to-door to meet hosts in Airbnb’s early days. By experiencing the hosting process himself, he uncovered ways to make the platform more seamless. Features like improved host onboarding and clearer booking details came directly from these early observations.
Through real-world use, founders can preemptively solve potential frustrations. A less confusing product leads to a better customer experience, and that, in turn, leads to retention.
A Slower Path, But Worth It
Here’s the catch: using your own product to fully test and refine it takes time. It’s tempting to launch quickly and fix problems as they arise. After all, why delay when you can iron out wrinkles later?
But the truth is, building the right way often means building slower. While it can feel like you’re falling behind, this approach pays off in the long run. A well-tested product leads to happier customers, fewer costly reworks, and a stronger reputation.
Take Stripe, for example. When founders Patrick and John Collison were developing the payment platform, they used Stripe to process their own invoice payments. They didn’t stop there, though. They encouraged their team to do “live deployments” regularly and process fake transactions to simulate real-world scalability. By working this way, they ensured Stripe could handle complexities before opening it up to broader audiences.
It may not be glamorous to methodically test and refine behind the scenes, but it builds something far more valuable than speed. It builds trust, loyalty, and a product that stands the test of time.
Final Thoughts
Founders using their own products isn’t just a helpful practice; it’s a necessity. Real-world use reveals gaps, builds trust, and refines the user experience in ways no secondhand feedback can replicate. Yes, it may slow down development, but this process lays the foundation for reliable, customer-centered products.
Whether you’re crafting a platform, a physical product, or a service, remember this simple truth: if you won’t use it, why should anyone else? The road to building something great starts by believing in it enough to use it yourself.
What’s one small change you could make to start testing your own products today?