Validate Idea

---
name: validate-idea
description: Use when testing a business idea before building anything
tags: [validation, mvp, customer-discovery, lean-startup]
related_skills: [find-community, processize, mvp, first-customers]
---

# Validate Idea

## Core Principle

**Validation happens through selling, not building.** Most founders spend months building a product nobody wants. Instead, validate by selling a manual version of your solution first.

## The Validation Process

### Step 1: Define the Problem (not the solution)
- Who specifically has this problem? (Be precise)
- How are they solving it today?
- How painful is this problem?
- Would they pay to make it go away?

### Step 2: Can You Solve It Manually First?
- Can you solve this for people by hand?
- Create a manual process first (processize it)
- If you can solve it manually for a few people, you can automate it

### Step 3: Will People Pay?
- Can you charge for this manual service right now?
- Have you talked to at least 10 potential customers?
- Have at least 3 said they'd pay (or actually paid)?
- What price point feels natural?

### Step 4: Four Questions
1. Can I ship it in a weekend?
2. Is it making customers' life a little better?
3. Is a customer willing to pay?
4. Can I get feedback quickly?

## Red Flags

- Nobody is currently trying to solve this problem
- You can't name 10 specific people who have it
- Only validation is "my friends think it's cool"
- You'd need to educate people they have this problem
- Building for a community you don't belong to

## Green Flags

- People are already paying for inferior solutions
- You've solved this manually and people loved it
- Community is actively complaining about this problem
- You're scratching your own itch

## Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| Building before selling | Manual validation first, code later |
| Friends saying "great idea" | Friends are polite — strangers pay money |
| Educating the market | Painful problems don't need education |
| Targeting too broad | Name 10 specific people, not "businesses" |
| Skipping the manual step | Manual delivery proves demand exists |

## Verification Checklist

- [ ] Specific problem defined with precise target user
- [ ] Current workarounds identified
- [ ] 10+ potential customers interviewed
- [ ] 3+ said they'd pay (or paid)
- [ ] Verdict: Validated / Needs more validation / Pivot
- [ ] Next steps defined based on verdict