Validate your idea in 7 days

1Write down what has to be true (day 1)

Write three sentences. If any of them is false, the business doesn't work.

1. [Specific customer] has [specific problem] often enough to care.
2. They're spending [time / money / workarounds] on it today.
3. They would pay [rough price] for [your solution] instead.

Be specific. "Small businesses" is not a customer. "Owners of 2 to 10 person dental clinics in the US" is.

Here are my three riskiest assumptions for a startup idea: [paste].
Act like a skeptical early-stage investor. For each assumption, tell me:
what would prove it false, the cheapest way to test it this week,
and who exactly I should talk to. Then name the assumption you think is weakest.

2Find 20 people who have the problem (day 1 to 2)

You need 10 conversations, so line up 20. Look where the customer already gathers:

• LinkedIn search by job title, then a short, honest message.
• Communities: Slack groups, subreddits, Facebook groups and forums for that role.
• Your own network: "Who do you know who runs a dental clinic?" works better than you'd think.
• People who complain publicly about the problem, on review sites, Reddit or X.

Hi [name], I'm researching how [role]s handle [problem]. I'm not selling anything.
Could I ask you a few questions for 15 minutes this week? Happy to share what I learn
from the other [role]s I talk to.

3Run interviews that don't lie to you (day 2 to 5)

People are polite. Ask "would you use this?" and they'll say yes. Ask about the past instead, because behavior doesn't lie. This is the core idea of Rob Fitzpatrick's book The Mom Test, and it's worth an evening.

Ask

• "Tell me about the last time [problem] happened. What did you do?"
• "What have you tried to fix it? What did that cost?"
• "What's the hardest part about [task]?"
• "If you had a magic wand, what would change?"

Don't ask

• "Would you use an app that…?" (everyone says yes)
• "How much would you pay?" (hypothetical numbers are fiction)
• Anything that pitches your idea before you've heard their story.

Here are my notes from [N] customer interviews: [paste].
Group what you see into: problems mentioned by 3+ people (with quotes),
what they use today and what it costs them, and signs they would pay.
Then tell me honestly whether my assumptions held up, using only the notes.

4Test the promise with a smoke test (day 5 to 6)

Talk is cheap. A smoke test asks for a small commitment: an email, a call booked, or money.

1. Make a one-page site with your promise in one sentence, three benefits and one button. A Lovable, Framer or Carrd page takes an hour.
2. Send it to everyone you interviewed and the communities you found.
3. Ask for the strongest commitment you can: a pre-order or a paid pilot beats a waitlist sign-up, which beats a like.

5Decide (day 7)

Look at what people did, not what they said.

What's next

Got real signal? Go get your first 10 customers. Investors will ask what you learned, so keep your notes: they become your traction story.