Reader, do you have a startup idea?

What if I say that there is a way to know almost for sure whether your idea CAN MAKE MONEY or you should NOT waste time on it?

And in this email, I'll share a simple validation framework that you can apply to your ideas to validate them in less than a week.

#1 - Define the idea and ICP

Firstly, you can go to ChatGPT with the following prompt:

(ICP - Ideal Customer Profile)

For example, here is the prompt that I've used to strip down one of my recent startup ideas:

After that, you'll have a clear understanding of what you should build and who your ideal customer is.

Later on, you can use the same exact chat to ask follow-up questions and get AI help in the next steps.

#2 - Build the MVP

I'm a visual person, and it's hard for me to sell the air.

That's why, before starting with the marketing, I usually spend 1-2 days building a basic version of my app.

It doesn't have to be perfect. You can build the crappiest MVP 😅 you can in 1-2 days.

I usually use Claude Code or Cursor and just vibe code it.

Once again, it does not have to be perfect.

It just needs to solve that one core problem that you identified in the previous step well.

#3 - Marketing ‼️

Step Three is the most crucial one!

I know, most likely you want to spend months building, and not talking to people.

But there is no point in building something that NOBODY NEEDS.

SO START talking to people!

DM your ideal customers on Instagram, find them in Facebook groups or on X.

It’s gonna feel cringe, it’s scary, I know.

But without these conversations, you are building trash that no one will pay for.

Don't just pitch your product from the first message.

Instead, try to identify if they actually have a problem that you are trying to solve.

If you handle the identification part well, the sale in the next step will feel natural and simple.

After a few dozen conversations, you'll start getting a better understanding of what your customers actually need.

You can use insights from those first discussions to create a landing page and improve your offer.

For landing pages, you can use Webflow, Framer or Vibe Code it with Claude Code.

I found Claude Code to be the tool so far to create a nice landing in just a few hours.

#4 - Sales

Now it's time for the hardest, but the BEST PART of validation.

It's time to pre-sell your app.

People can SAY that they like your idea and your product. But when you launch it, they WILL NOT BUY.

It's better to find out NOW if people are just nice to you, or your product actually solves a big enough problem that people are ready to pay for.

In those conversations that you had with the customers, offer them a lifetime deal or a heavily discounted price.

Be honest that the product is not fully ready.

Tell them they are getting a bunch of bonuses for being early supporters.

Finally??

If you get a few sales? Let's freaking go 💪.

Your idea has potential.

If not? It's not a big deal.

You only spent a few days.

Get back to step one and repeat the process with a new idea.

Content Updates

If you want to see how I validated my startup idea in just 7 days, you can watch the new video here:

Also, I'm building something NEW 🆕.

If you've missed it, in the last email, I mentioned that I'm creating a new thing.

This new thing is Full-time Founders!

It's a community for people who build their SaaS to $1k MRR while working full-time. You can read more about Full-time Founders here. It's in the waitlist mode, but if you want to get early access and updates, you can join the waitlist here.

See you next week 👋!

Always yours,

Andrew "Validating Stuff" Zacker