Product Market Testing: Building Demand Through Hands-On Validation with Susana Chen

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Susana Chen, co-founder of Never Have I Ever, an artist-licensed press-on nail brand redefining beauty as wearable art. The conversation explores Susana’s journey from working on global product launches to building a brand from the ground up through hands-on testing, customer feedback, and disciplined proof-of-concept validation. She shares how early-stage founders can turn ideas into viable businesses by creating small prototypes, testing them directly with real customers, and generating early revenue before seeking outside capital. The episode also dives into the realities of funding, including how financial services begin to take interest once traction is proven, and why founders must carefully evaluate the cost and long-term implications of accepting capital. Never Have I Ever website: https://neverhaveiever.shopThere are a lot of  "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll.They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book.That’s not me. I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all.And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital. We don’t just advise — we execute. We write the playbook.So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place.This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk.https://www.facebook.com/philmasiellohttps://www.instagram.com/philmasiello/https://www.tiktok.com/@philmasiellohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-masiello/https://www.youtube.com/@philmasiello#StartupGrowth #EcommerceTips #ScaleYourBrand #DTCMarketing #PhilMasiello #GrowthClass #BrandStrategy #MarketingPodcast #CrunchGrowth #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth