---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Starting a startup is a process of trial…"
description: "\"Starting a startup is a process of trial and error. What guided the founders through this process was their empathy for the users. They never lost sigh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png"
---

#  Starting a startup is a process of trial and error. What…

![“Starting a startup is a process of trial and error. What guided the founders through this process was their empathy for the users. They never lost sight of making things that people would want.” quote by Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png)

> “Starting a startup is a process of trial and error. What guided the founders through this process was their empathy for the users. They never lost sight of making things that people would want.”

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Successful startups iterate based on user empathy, staying focused on creating desired products.

**In simple terms:** User empathy drives product success.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize user needs in development.

Themes

entrepreneurship empathy product design

Mood

inspirational practical

Type

business

When to use this quote

- tech startups
- design thinking
- lean methodology

Key Concepts

customer focus iteration market fit

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you gather authentic user insight?
- What methods ensure empathy stays central?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting user feedback can derail a venture.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Startup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup/) [Trial and error](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trial-and-error/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/)

## Related quotes

> [More important than starting any startup, is getting to know a lot of potential co-founders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/more-important-than-starting-any-startup-is-getting-to-know-a-lot-of/)

[Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/)

> [Everyone starting a startup for the first time is scared, and everyone feels like a bit of an imposter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/everyone-starting-a-startup-for-the-first-time-is-scared-and-everyone/)

[Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/)

> [Every entrepreneur faces trade-offs when founding and growing their company. As we discovered at YouTube, those early decisions have far-reaching impacts and lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/every-entrepreneur-faces-trade-offs-when-founding-and-growing-their/)

[Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/)

> [In the early days of a startup, people's compensation is whatever you negotiate with a founder and it's all over the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/in-the-early-days-of-a-startup-people-s-compensation-is-whatever-you/)

[Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/)

> [We hear again and again from founders, that they wish they had waited to start a startup until they came up with an idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/we-hear-again-and-again-from-founders-that-they-wish-they-had-waited/)

[Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/)

> [“A lot of the machines that Google is built on—commodity is the polite word for them—they're regular PCs and so they're not always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/a-lot-of-the-machines-that-google-is-built-on-commodity-is-the-polite/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“Paul Buchheit: Then you have what we do with PCs, and that's technically pretty challenging—to take this big network of machines that are unreliable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/paul-buchheit-then-you-have-what-we-do-with-pcs-and-that-s/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“describes how in 1999 he and some friends founded his first startup, Epinions, a website for consumer reviews. They had to raise $8m”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/describes-how-in-1999-he-and-some-friends-founded-his-first-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Separation, I think, in an early-stage company or a startup environment is not a good thing. You need to basically live and breathe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shervin-pishevar/separation-i-think-in-an-early-stage-company-or-a-startup-environment/)

[Shervin Pishevar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shervin-pishevar/)

> [HubSpot has used the lean startup method to build a spectacularly successful company. What I particularly love about HubSpot is that they are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/hubspot-has-used-the-lean-startup-method-to-build-a-spectacularly/)

[Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/)

> [“In its place had arisen a Promised Land of Duane Reades and Chase ATMs on every corner, luxury doorman buildings, Pilates studios and spin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/in-its-place-had-arisen-a-promised-land-of-duane-reades-and-chase/)

[Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/)

> [The benefit to building a startup is that customers don't have the same kind of friction when they adopt new technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/the-benefit-to-building-a-startup-is-that-customers-don-t-have-the/)

[Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/)

> [Stalking is an underrated startup strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rottenberg/stalking-is-an-underrated-startup-strategy/)

[Linda Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-rottenberg/)

> [“So Mack got kind of a late start in the startup world—he founded TakeOff at the ripe old age of twenty-five”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/so-mack-got-kind-of-a-late-start-in-the-startup-world-he-founded/)

[Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Jessica Livingston

> [“A lot of the machines that Google is built on—commodity is the polite word for them—they're regular PCs and so they're not always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/a-lot-of-the-machines-that-google-is-built-on-commodity-is-the-polite/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Cofounders will endure so much together that their relationship is often compared to a marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/cofounders-will-endure-so-much-together-that-their-relationship-is/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Innovations seem inevitable in retrospect, but at the time it's an uphill battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/innovations-seem-inevitable-in-retrospect-but-at-the-time-it-s-an/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Finding a programmer to work with if you don't already know one will be a challenge. Merely judging if a programmer is exceptional vs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/finding-a-programmer-to-work-with-if-you-don-t-already-know-one-will/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“Wozniak: Well, actually we never did much in the garage. People think we had a garage where we sat down with soldering irons and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/wozniak-well-actually-we-never-did-much-in-the-garage-people-think-we/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“Even though it seems like it's big business and impersonal, and "they" take care of it, it really isn't. There is no "they." It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/even-though-it-seems-like-it-s-big-business-and-impersonal-and-they/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Programmers have not been professionals because they haven't really cared about quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/programmers-have-not-been-professionals-because-they-haven-t-really/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“I think there are very few people who have a capacity to see the future. So it can be difficult when you are talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/i-think-there-are-very-few-people-who-have-a-capacity-to-see-the/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Finding a technical cofounder would have been difficult for me. I was an English major and didn't know any computer programmers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/finding-a-technical-cofounder-would-have-been-difficult-for-me-i-was/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“Paul Buchheit: Then you have what we do with PCs, and that's technically pretty challenging—to take this big network of machines that are unreliable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/paul-buchheit-then-you-have-what-we-do-with-pcs-and-that-s/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [People think startups grow out of some brilliant initial idea like a plant from a seed. But almost all the founders I interview change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/people-think-startups-grow-out-of-some-brilliant-initial-idea-like-a/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [“We need to make sure that we are allowing students to be exposed to future technology and not reducing it to current—what a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/we-need-to-make-sure-that-we-are-allowing-students-to-be-exposed-to/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Investors, most of them, have a herd mentality. They want to invest only if other people are investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/investors-most-of-them-have-a-herd-mentality-they-want-to-invest-only/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [You've got to say you are a step ahead of where you actually are to move to the step that you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/you-ve-got-to-say-you-are-a-step-ahead-of-where-you-actually-are-to/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

> [Pick a big enough project, something that's really hard, something that over the years you can work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/pick-a-big-enough-project-something-that-s-really-hard-something-that/)

[Jessica Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

[Explore all 30 Jessica Livingston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/)

## 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

> [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": "Starting a startup is a process of trial and error. What guided the founders through this process was their empathy for the users. They never lost sight of making things that people would want.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jessica Livingston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial-and-error-what-guided-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Customer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial-and-error-what-guided-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95c/jessica-livingston-20699_customer_starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial_204183.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Starting a startup is a process of trial and error. What guided the founders through this process was their…” — Jessica Livingston",
                "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": "Jessica Livingston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-livingston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Starting a startup is a process...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial-and-error-what-guided-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-livingston/starting-a-startup-is-a-process-of-trial-and-error-what-guided-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
