I've been wrestling with a similar question. My current take on it is this: 1. Get a real, working system to a demo-able point. This is not an MVP, but rather

I've been wrestling with a similar question. My current take on it is this: 1. Get a real, working system to a demo-able point. This is not an MVP, but rather a system that lets people see the underlying potential. 2. Start talking to people. This includes both potential customers as well as potential investors. The goals is to find out whether I'm up in the night or if there is a real need here. 3. ??? 4. Profit. (#3 is said somewhat in jest, but it really means synthesizing the output of #2 and determining if there is a real path (whether bootstrapped or funded) that leads to #4.)