How to Validate Your Idea: My Personal Notes

This is a living document that captures my personal learnings and approach to idea validation. While I share what has worked for me, I'm always learning and refining these methods. If you have insights or feedback, please reach out at [email protected]. I'll keep updating this guide as I learn more.

Understanding Human Desires

Before diving into validation techniques, it's crucial to understand what drives human behavior. From my experience and research (influenced by Alex Hormozi's work), people's desires typically fall into three main categories:

1. Wealth - Financial resources and assets
2. Health - Physical and mental wellbeing
3. Relationships - Quality connections with others

But here's the key insight - these desires don't exist in isolation. They're deeply intertwined with something called "status" - how people perceive themselves relative to others in their social circles. Your product isn't just solving a problem; it's helping someone improve their status or achieve a desired state in one or more of these areas.

Finding Patterns in the Market

Once you understand these core desires, the next step is to look for patterns in the market. Here's how I do it:

For B2C Products

• Use tools like Gummysearch to analyze Reddit discussions
• Look for recurring complaints, desires, and frustrations
• Pay attention to how people describe their problems in their own words
• Notice which solutions they've tried and why they failed

For B2B Products

• Study reviews on Trustpilot and G2
• Look for patterns in negative reviews - they often reveal unmet needs
• Analyze competitor solutions and their shortcomings
• Pay attention to industry-specific forums and discussions

The Art of Customer Research

Finding patterns isn't enough - you need to validate them through direct conversation. Here's my approach:

Finding the Right People

• Start with your network (LinkedIn, Twitter, relevant communities)
• Use clear, non-salesy outreach messages
• Focus on building genuine connections
• Be transparent about your research goals

Having Meaningful Conversations

I highly recommend reading "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick here. The key principles I've learned:

1. Don't Pitch, Listen

   • Let them tell their story
   • Focus on understanding their current situation
   • Don't lead with your solution

2. Ask About Their Past

   • What solutions have they tried?
   • Why didn't those solutions work?
   • What were the specific pain points?

3. Look for Stories, Not Problems

   • A problem statement: "I need to lose weight"
   • A story: "I'm a single mother of two. I want to be healthy enough to see my kids grow up, but I can't find time between work and childcare."

4. Understand Their Status Game

   • What do they want to achieve?
   • Who do they want to impress?
   • What would success look like to them?

Validating Your Solution

Only after understanding the patterns and having real conversations should you start thinking about your solution. Ask yourself:

1. Status Impact

   • How does your solution help improve their status?
   • Which of the three core desires (wealth, health, relationships) does it address?

2. Real-World Fit

   • Does it fit into their existing lifestyle/workflow?
   • Does it address the specific constraints they mentioned?
   • Is it significantly better than their current solutions?

Remember: You're not just building a product - you're creating a tool that helps people transform their status or situation in a way that matters to them. The validation process is about understanding that transformation journey, not just the technical solution.

A Note on Continuous Learning

This is my current understanding of idea validation, but I'm always learning and refining these methods. If you have insights or experiences to share, please reach out at [email protected]. Let's learn together!