Build fast, validate with real users. Better to have a working product that needs improvement than a perfect idea with no users.

​
Finding Ideas

​
Criteria for Good Ideas

  1. Solves a real problem
  2. Has a large market potential
  3. Can be built in a weekend

​
Idea Sources

  1. Off the cuff ideas when you’re bored or frustrated with something
  • Use VoicePal to brainstorm - it asks probing questions about your idea and helps identify potential issues
  1. Code & Creed Idea Vault
  2. Big Ideas Database
  3. thekoerneroffice
  4. Network with friends/professionals in their industry to identify pain points
  5. Reddit Research Method (Go to Reddit, search for “alternatives”, find pain points of existing products, build a better alternative)

Many of your first users will simply be word of mouth, especially if you don’t have a large online presence. That’s okay. Don’t be afraid to speak to potential customers in person, cold-dm, cold-email, or even cold-call. If your product solves a genuine pain point, people will be happy to help you.

Reference The Mom Test for how to guide those conversations.

This framework helps identify validated market opportunities where users are actively seeking better solutions.

​
2. Quick Market Check (2-3 hours)

  • Use ValidateMySaaS for quick validation report
  • Check competitor pricing and reviews
  • Estimate market size via Google Trends

​
3. Build Decision

If you’ve found:

  • Clear user pain points
  • A few people you know who are willing to pay for it OR competitors with paying customers (but you have a way to build it better/cheaper)

Then you should start building your MVP (see MVP Development)

Don’t spend more than a day on validation. If the problem is real, you’ll know quickly. A few people will be interested. Even if it’s your own personal idea, just start building and post to social media and market it more later.