Pre-sale

The practice of selling products or services before they're fully built or delivered, using customer purchases to validate demand and fund development. Pre-sales reduce risk by ensuring market interest before investing significant time and resources. Common in crowdfunding (Kickstarter), software (early access), courses (founding member pricing), and services (advance bookings). Successful pre-sales require compelling value propositions, realistic timelines, transparent communication about development status, and trustworthy reputation. Pre-sales often offer discounted pricing to early supporters, creating win-win scenarios where customers save money while founders validate concepts and generate working capital.

Why it matters

Pre-sales eliminate the biggest entrepreneurial risk: building things nobody wants. Securing paying customers before full development validates demand, provides development capital, and builds audience investment in your success.