--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't just go careening toward your…" description: "\"You can't just go careening toward your idea without checking in with customers and people who might use it and making sure you're on to something.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg" --- # You can't just go careening toward your idea without… ![“You can't just go careening toward your idea without checking in with customers and people who might use it and making sure you're on to something.” quote by Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg) > “You can't just go careening toward your idea without checking in with customers and people who might use it and making sure you're on to something.” [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Successful ideas require validation from real users before full commitment. **In simple terms:** Test ideas with customers first. Key Takeaway Validate before scaling. Themes innovation customer focus risk management Mood cautious strategic Type advisory motivational When to use this quote - product development - startup pitch - investor meetings - feature rollout Key Concepts Lean startup market validation Questions to Reflect On - How do you gather honest user feedback? - What signals indicate market readiness? A Different Perspective Ignoring feedback can lead to costly failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Careening Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careening-idea-3744691/) [Checking Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checking-customers-3744690/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers/) [Customers People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customers-people-1157648/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Idea Checking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-checking-3744689/) [Making Sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-sure/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [I've never gotten a good idea while checking Twitter or shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/i-ve-never-gotten-a-good-idea-while-checking-twitter-or-shopping/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [Your number one customers are your people. Look after employees first and then customers last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hutchinson/your-number-one-customers-are-your-people-look-after-employees-first/) [Ian Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hutchinson/) > [Our target customers are people in their 20s. Old people wanted to be 21 again, and young people wanted to be 21 forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/do-won-chang/our-target-customers-are-people-in-their-20s-old-people-wanted-to-be/) [Do Won Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/do-won-chang/) > [“Customers are people. They lead lives. They have kids, they eat too much, they don’t sleep well, they phone in sick, they get bored,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/customers-are-people-they-lead-lives-they-have-kids-they-eat-too-much/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [ “It’s the customer who pay us the money, it’s the employees who drive the vision, and it’s the shareholders who when the \[financial\] crisis… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/think-maverick/it-s-the-customer-who-pay-us-the-money-it-s-the-employees-who-drive/) [Think Maverick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/think-maverick/) > [Consumers are statistics. Customers are people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-marcus/consumers-are-statistics-customers-are-people/) [Stanley Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-marcus/) > [As an artist who lives here and wants a more sophisticated engagement between local social dynamics and global discourse, it's great to see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-rubin/as-an-artist-who-lives-here-and-wants-a-more-sophisticated-engagement/) [Jon Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-rubin/) > [Many companies operate from more of a command-and-control environment - they decide what's going to happen at headquarters and have the organization execute. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-whitman/many-companies-operate-from-more-of-a-command-and-control-environment/) [Meg Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-whitman/) > [I think that always our focus is gonna be the customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/i-think-that-always-our-focus-is-gonna-be-the-customers/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [“Don't try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/don-t-try-and-go-through-life-worrying-about-if-somebody-like-you-or/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [I think standups, a lot of times, get lost in making sure they don't upset anybody and making sure they stay with what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-santino/i-think-standups-a-lot-of-times-get-lost-in-making-sure-they-don-t/) [Andrew Santino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-santino/) > [Making sure every child can read, making sure that we encourage faith-based organizations ... when it comes to helping neighbors in need, making sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/making-sure-every-child-can-read-making-sure-that-we-encourage-faith/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I have to be very diligent about making sure I'm taking care of my body and my mind, because if I'm not, the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baiju-bhatt/i-have-to-be-very-diligent-about-making-sure-i-m-taking-care-of-my/) [Baiju Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baiju-bhatt/) > [My parents have always been very concerned of making sure we know who we are and where we come from. I have to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilshad-vadsaria/my-parents-have-always-been-very-concerned-of-making-sure-we-know-who/) [Dilshad Vadsaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilshad-vadsaria/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) ## More by Andy Jassy > [A lot of times in intense moments, you tend to play conservatively because you're just trying to avoid losing, as opposed to trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/a-lot-of-times-in-intense-moments-you-tend-to-play-conservatively/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [I think our relationship with Seattle has had ups and downs frankly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/i-think-our-relationship-with-seattle-has-had-ups-and-downs-frankly/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [We compete with very large companies. These are companies like Walmart and Target and Kroger and some very successful digital companies like eBay and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/we-compete-with-very-large-companies-these-are-companies-like-walmart/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Customers will always be nervous about lock-in, and I think the experience they had particularly with a company like Oracle, where it's a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/customers-will-always-be-nervous-about-lock-in-and-i-think-the/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Our leadership principles often have tension in them. And I think that's actually a good thing and it makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/our-leadership-principles-often-have-tension-in-them-and-i-think-that/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Everybody at the company has the freedom - and really, the expectation - to critically look at how it can be better and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/everybody-at-the-company-has-the-freedom-and-really-the-expectation/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [When you have a sitting president who's willing to publicly show his disdain for a company and the leader of a company, it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/when-you-have-a-sitting-president-who-s-willing-to-publicly-show-his/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [The reason Netflix chose to use AWS is because they knew they'd be treated as every bit as important a customer as Amazon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/the-reason-netflix-chose-to-use-aws-is-because-they-knew-they-d-be/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Some businesses take off in the first year, and others take many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/some-businesses-take-off-in-the-first-year-and-others-take-many-years/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [For us, employee safety is priority number one for us in our fulfillment centers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/for-us-employee-safety-is-priority-number-one-for-us-in-our/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [You have to challenge people, often people who know a lot more about a subject than you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/you-have-to-challenge-people-often-people-who-know-a-lot-more-about-a/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [I think that always our focus is gonna be the customers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/i-think-that-always-our-focus-is-gonna-be-the-customers/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Before, companies and startups had to lay up all this capital for data centers and servers, and take your scarce resource, which in most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/before-companies-and-startups-had-to-lay-up-all-this-capital-for-data/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [These are serious problems in all of our major cities: homelessness, education, there are are a number of them. And they require hard thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/these-are-serious-problems-in-all-of-our-major-cities-homelessness/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [Even when we go back to having meetings in person, we will continue to incorporate a lot of the things we learned in virtual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/even-when-we-go-back-to-having-meetings-in-person-we-will-continue-to/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) [Explore all 100 Andy Jassy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) ## More Customer quotes > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) [Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/) [Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/) > [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't just go careening toward your idea without checking in with customers and people who might use it and making sure you're on to something.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andy Jassy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your-idea-without-checking-in-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Customer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your-idea-without-checking-in-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9d/andy-jassy-5580_customers_you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your_2033167.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't just go careening toward your idea without checking in with customers and people who might use it…” — Andy Jassy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andy Jassy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't just go careening toward...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your-idea-without-checking-in-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/you-can-t-just-go-careening-toward-your-idea-without-checking-in-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```