In a recent LinkedIn post, Justinwelsh discusses a common yet critical challenge faced by entrepreneurs: discerning valuable feedback from noise when launching new ventures. He highlights the inherent difficulty in separating immediate, often critical, reactions from the slower-arriving, more meaningful results that truly indicate success.
Welsh opens by posing a fundamental question for creators: “When you build or ship something new, how do you decide what feedback to actually listen to?” He elaborates on the rapid nature of criticism versus the delayed arrival of tangible outcomes.
Criticism shows up fast. Real results show up slowly.
The Trap of Immediate Reactions
According to Welsh, the immediate aftermath of launching a new product, service, or piece of content is often flooded with opinions. These can range from critiques of headlines and design to suggestions for alternative approaches. He observes that these criticisms often surface within hours of a launch.
The danger, as Welsh points out, lies in entrepreneurs reacting to this swift feedback. He argues that this can lead to unnecessary changes made to appease a vocal minority who may not even be the target audience or understand the core objectives.
So most people react to the fast stuff. They change it to please a few people who were never measuring what they were measuring anyway.
Prioritizing Core Outcomes
To navigate this challenge, Welsh outlines a personal strategy focused on clarity and data. He emphasizes the importance of first defining the single, most crucial outcome that the venture aims to achieve. Once this primary objective is clear, the product or service is released into the world.
Setting Aside Opinions, Watching the Numbers
Welsh advocates for setting initial opinions aside and focusing intently on key performance indicators. “I get clear on the one outcome that matters. I ship it out into the world. I set the opinions aside. I watch the numbers, not the comments,” he states. This data-driven approach allows for objective assessment of progress.
His methodology involves a continuous loop of shipping, monitoring, and adjusting. If the numbers indicate the venture is on track towards the defined outcome, the course is maintained. If not, a single, measured change is implemented, and the results are observed again.
On track? I keep going. Off track? I change one thing and measure again.
Revisiting Early Feedback Strategically
Only after this process of data-informed iteration has begun does Welsh recommend revisiting the early feedback. He notes that at this later stage, it becomes more feasible to discern which of the initial criticisms hold genuine merit and are worth acting upon, versus those that were simply knee-jerk reactions.
Welsh concludes by suggesting that this approach is crucial for anyone in the entrepreneurial space shipping new ideas, services, or products, implying that a structured, results-oriented process is key to long-term success over succumbing to immediate, potentially misleading, feedback.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Justinwelsh on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on June 13, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →