Activity is useful. Evidence changes decisions.
A finished page tells you that you can build a page. A relevant person describing a recurring problem tells you something about demand. Someone paying for a clear outcome tells you more.
Track the evidence without treating all signals as equal.
Keep a simple record
- The question: what are you trying to learn?
- The audience: who is this intended to help?
- The test: what did you actually put in front of them?
- The effort: how much time and money went into it?
- The response: what did people do, and what did they say?
- The decision: continue, change or pause—and why?
Separate the signals
Attention: visits, views or opens. These indicate exposure, not a business outcome.
Intent: specific questions, qualified inquiries or pilot requests. These can suggest interest, but remain distinct from payment.
Value: a customer uses the deliverable and finds it useful. Look for specific feedback and repeat use.
Revenue: money actually received. Keep it separate from proposals, pipeline and optimistic projections.
Include the cost of your time
Record delivery hours alongside direct costs. The first sale may teach a great deal while still requiring too much effort to repeat sustainably. That is useful information.
Let a pause count as progress
Stopping a weak idea after a small test preserves energy for a better one. A good experiment produces a clearer decision, even when the decision is not to keep building.