90% of startups fail. Not because of bad execution, but because they built something nobody wanted. You can avoid this fate by validating your idea BEFORE you invest time and money.

The 7-Method Validation Framework

Method	Time	Cost	Best For
1. Customer Interviews	1-2 Weeks	$0	Understanding deep customer pain.
2. Landing Page + Ads	1 Week	$100-$500	Testing mass-market interest quickly.
3. Pre-Sales	2-4 Weeks	$0	Getting actual cash before building.
4. MVP / Prototype	2-8 Weeks	$500+	Testing repeated usage and value.
5. Competitor Analysis	1-3 Days	$0	Seeing what already works.
6. Search Trend Analysis	30 Mins	$0	Validating market growth.
7. AI Validation	60 Secs	$0	Instant, data-driven initial score.

What "Validation" Actually Looks Like

Don't confuse "interest" with "intent." Use this comparison to see where you stand:

✅ Validated (Green Light)	❌ Not Validated (Red Flag)
20+ customers confirmed the problem is painful.	Only you and your co-founder think it's a "cool app."
10+ customers gave specific feature priorities.	Everyone says "it's interesting" but won't prepay.
3+ pre-sales (cash in hand) before launch.	Market trends show search volume is declining.
Competitor reviews show consistent, fixable gaps.	Everyone is currently using a free solution they love.

Detailed Method Breakdowns

Method #1: Customer Interviews

Questions to Ask:

"What is the biggest challenge you face with [problem]?"
"How much does that challenge cost you right now?"
"If I could fix it for $X, would you pay today?"

Method #2: Landing Page + Ads

The Formula:

1,000 visitors → 100 email signups = 72/100 (Validated)
1,000 visitors → 5 signups = 12/100 (Pivot Needed)

🛠️ Essential Free Tools

Category	Recommended Tool	Why Use It?
Research	Google Trends	See if demand is growing or dying.
Ads	Google Ads	Test intent for specific problem keywords.
Landing Page	Carrd	Build a 1-page site in under 60 minutes.
AI Assessment	Worthify	Get a 0-100 validation score in 60 seconds.

Common Validation Mistakes to Avoid

❌ The Mistake	🛠️ The Fix
Asking Friends/Family: They love you, so they lie to spare your feelings.	Talk to strangers: Join Reddit or LinkedIn groups.
Building First: You waste 6 months coding something nobody wants.	Validate First: Sell the idea before writing code.
Ignoring Negative Signals: "They just don't get it yet—I'll launch anyway."	Pivot Fast: If 20 people say "no," listen to them.

Next Steps: Validate Your Idea This Week

Run AI validation on Worthify (60 seconds).
Interview 10 strangers in your target market.
Build a simple landing page and run $50 in ads.
Compare results to the "Verdict Table" above.

Validate Your Idea in 60 Seconds (Free AI Tool) →

How to Validate a Business Idea Without Wasting Money