The founders often talk about getting a “faith jump” when they start their own business. The phrase, created by the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, describes the confidence in something without rational evidence – accepting an unsafe result despite the lack of evidence.

My opinion? This is a terrible way to approach Launching a company.

For me, getting a jump of faith is like jumping from a parachute -free plane, assuming you will be good without any supporting. Maybe a bunch of good understanding of birds will lead you to safety, or a strong wind of wind will gently deposit you on the ground. Personally, better will pack a parachute – one I know is a healthy structural and will do its job.

Determining when it is time to move forward with your business idea does not require growth in an unknown abyss. Does not mean there will be no uncertainty. But if you can meet the preconditions below, your dance will be more a safe step, and you will not have to rely on faith: you will have facts.

Connected: 4 ways to determine if now is the right time to start your business

Pre-Kong 1: You know who is willing to use your product

When I started my company, dialI knew exactly who would use the product I wanted to build: I and all the editors in the media company where I worked as a programmer. I was constantly receiving requests for forms, so I knew how important they were for the company's operations. I also knew I was tired of building them and that there was a better way. And there was.

As the co -founder of the Combiner Y Paul Graham set“When a start starts, there must be at least some users who really need what they are doing – not just people who can see themselves using it one day, but who love it urgently.”

Jotform is a classic example of the itching power of your itching. In my case, it was a winning victory: even if my forms without code were not removed, I would still have solved an irritating problem for myself, all as I continued to collect a check in my day's work.

Pre-Kudes 2: You can build your product

Say you have an amazing idea of ​​a home you want to build – there will be all sorts of extraordinary features, such as turres, many balconies and a porch of wrapping. The only problem? You have never chosen a hammer.

This does not mean that it cannot be done. All it means is that you will need Learn how to do it – If possible, in someone else's currency.

By the time I started working on Jotform, I would already build a small piece of products in my free time, except for those I would have done for my 9 to 5 work. In that job, I also had the very valuable experience to master a Saas product used by millions – called thecounter.com, and was a kind of predecessor of Google Analytics. Thecounter.com was initially released as a free product, but after the stock market was overthrown, the company needed money, so I was charged with building a paid version. Making great decisions and ownership of that product was the best education I could have asked – and I did it all as I continued to collect a check.

At the time I started working on Jotform, I already had a lot of experience I needed to raise and run myself. For everything else, I learned as I went.

Pre-Condition 3: Your MVP is applicable

For many founders, their “jumping of faith” moment comes when they leave their day's work, dramatically trading security for freedom of entrepreneurship.

Not me. I just leave the media company after my side project – a profile tool I would develop – constantly earned more than my check. I spent six months building a free nonotform version with only basic functions. When I left it, I knew one of the two things would happen: people would use it or not. And if they didn't have, I would have lost only six months, and I would still have revenue from my side project.

I had a lot of confidence in non -form, and as soon as I left my job, I worked in it with full dedication. No matter how frustrating it would have been if it had failed, it would not have been catastrophic. I still had my other products, I still had my own experience and I knew I was going to go out with something else.

Connected: 5 tips for solidification of MVP, and why is the most important aspect of building a start

Pre-Kong 4: You know how to achieve your target user

This is a prerequisite that I really didn't meet myself, but I would have known her better.

Marketing I don't naturally come to me, but when I founded my company, I was proud of my product and the technology I would develop. Making the PR was not very painful.

However, there are many ways you can care about your product, even before it is released. Find your audience and access social media, through forums like Reddit or starting a blog. Even the best product will be DOA if it does not reach people.

Starting a business does not have to be a reckless jump in the unknown. By meeting these preconditions, you can turn a trust jump into a strategic step, well-planned-supported by preparation, data and trust.