I agree with all of this, those 3 elements are critical. However, the issue I keep coming back to is "how do I figure these 3 things out <i>before</i> I launch a product?"<p>Nathan at ConvertKit has built an incredible business, and he's earned every bit of it the hard way. However, not everyone is going to have the financial or emotional stamina required to launch a product first, watch it struggle, and figure out the positioning later. For a lot of us, if we don't get the target market at least ballpark-right the first time, we aren't going to be able to see a product through the process of trying this positioning and that positioning until we find something that works.<p>So, how can we improve our chances of getting "purchasing power", "purchasing desire", and "market mass" right up-front, before we invest time and energy in creating a product? Are there any particular exercises or processes you recommend that will help us find and/or evaluate different markets?