But who signs the check tho?

Hey friends 👋We’re kicking off 2026 with a reality check that could save you months of wasted effort: getting amazing feedback from users means nothing if they can’t sign the check.In this episode, we dive into the critical difference between users (who love your product) and economic buyers (who actually pay for it). This is where most B2B founders burn precious time—running pilots with enthusiastic users while completely missing the person who controls the budget.We break down the ecosystem of pain and why the person using your solution might experience completely different problems than the person purchasing it. Just because your Slack bot saves a product manager hours every week doesn’t mean their VP will pay $750/month for the team.Through our game format, we evaluate four real-world scenarios from compliance training platforms to AI code review tools. You’ll see exactly how we assess whether founders are validating with the right people or just collecting feel-good feedback that leads nowhere.Key insight: If your pilot doesn’t involve the economic buyer from day one, you’re prioritizing making it work over making it sellable.That’s fundamentally backward.We also talk about the “four asks” framework, paid pilots vs. free trials disguised as validation, and why “saving time” is usually a weak value prop (it’s what that time unlocks that matters).In Frivolous Thoughts, Cameron shares his new vinyl collection journey and how it’s changing the way he experiences music, while JDM recommends the sharp writing and cinematography of “Wake Up Dead Man” on Netflix.Thanks for spending another week with us. Time is the one resource you never get back.—Cameron and JDM This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zerototraction.substack.com