In the fourth episode of the five-part podcast series Making Things Click, bestselling author and venture capitalist John Zeratsky shares why smart teams don’t just pivot after things go wrong. They explore alternatives before they start building.

Most products fail not because the idea was bad, but because teams never seriously considered if a better approach existed. In this episode, John introduces the idea of the pre-pivot — a simple but powerful shift in thinking that can save you months of wasted effort and significantly improve your chances of success.

Drawing from his book Click and years of work with startups like Slack and Reclaim, John walks through how to evaluate multiple product ideas, customer segments, and go-to-market strategies using a tool called magic lenses. You’ll learn how top teams make smart, non-obvious choices and how one unexpected idea led to a major acquisition.

If you are starting something new, this episode will reshape how you think about product strategy, decision making, and setting your team up for real traction.

Timestamps:
00:00 Why you should explore alternatives before you build
01:44 The pre-pivot mindset
03:06 Why it is uncomfortable but essential to imagine failure
06:33 A startup that saved 6 months by pre-pivoting
07:45 Slack’s surprising pivot during a sprint
09:21 Evaluating different product, customer, and channel ideas
10:12 How approach summaries and magic lenses work
13:22 A real example from Reclaim’s rapid growth
15:18 Why smart decisions do not always come from consensus
17:50 How to choose the best idea with confidence

📘 Learn more and order the book Click: https://www.theclickbook.com/