Most founders skip this part. They build, launch, hope. The ones who don't fail talk to customers first.
Here's the exact 3-step process I use to validate a business idea before I write a line of code. Works in any niche. Takes about two weeks.
Send the message.
Daily DMs on LinkedIn. Daily emails to people you know. Pick one of these two scripts. Send it.
I'm a bootstrapped founder with a potential solution and would love to chat for 15 minutes to learn more about this. No sales — I'll share a 90-day roadmap as a thank you.
Hey, I'm working on a business idea to help [target audience] to [desired outcome]. Are you open to a 15-minute chat? Would love to hear if this resonates. Not a sales call. Just a friendly chat.
If they reply →
Great! Do you have a preferred time, or feel free to use my booking link: [your link]. Looking forward to it.
If they don't book in 48 hours →
Looking forward to it. Let me know if you don't see a time that works and I'll add it.
Ask the right questions.
In person, phone, or Zoom — doesn't matter. Ask these seven in this order. Listen more than you talk.
- What's your biggest challenge with [the problem your idea solves]?
- Why do you find this challenging?
- Can you describe the last time this happened?
- What have you tried in the past to solve it?
- Why didn't that solution fully work?
- What impact has this had on you or your business?
- Can I reach out again as we work on a solution?
Survey, analyze, iterate.
Got an audience? Send a survey to validate the patterns. Then run the responses through this AI prompt to find the signal.
Which customer type are you?
Multiple choice · Give 3 options
What's your biggest challenge with [problem]?
Multiple choice
How are you solving this today?
Multiple choice
What's the impact of this problem (time / money)?
Multiple choice
"Want a 15-min chat? I'll share a 90-day roadmap as a thank-you."
Open text · The ask
Tools:Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms.
You are a market research expert. Analyze the following survey responses to identify key themes or patterns. Group similar responses, and highlight the top 5 recurring challenges, interests, and themes.