How do I run price discovery, and how does it differ by business type?
Quick answer
is simply the ongoing job of finding the price your customers will actually pay. You do it with a mix of talking to customers, testing prices, and comparing to value — and how you do it shifts depending on whether you're D2C, SaaS or a platform.
The mistake most founders make
Setting a price once, at the start, and never revisiting it. Price isn't a one-time decision — it's something you keep learning and adjusting as you understand your customers better.
Ways to find your target price
A few methods, usually used together: talk to customers (ask what they'd pay, and what they pay today to solve the problem); test prices (try different price points with different groups and watch what converts); offer tiers (good-better-best plans let customers show you what they value); value-based math (price a share of the value you create); and look at the market (what similar products charge — as a reference, not a rule). Start rough, then tighten as data comes in.
How it differs by business type
For D2C, discovery is about price points and promotions — test prices, watch how demand reacts, use bundles to lift order value, and find the point where a small price rise doesn't scare buyers off. For SaaS, the big question is your “value metric” — do you charge per user, per usage, or per outcome? — plus getting your tiers right so customers naturally move up as they grow. For a platform or marketplace, you're really discovering a “” (your cut), and you have to price both sides — buyers and sellers — so the whole thing stays balanced and liquid.
Our honest take
The right price is discovered, not guessed. The founders who charge the most aren't the boldest — they're the ones who did the homework to know what they're worth.