Validate before you build

Get real evidence people want it before you write a line of code.

4 steps, 74 questions, laid out in the order you'll hit them

Each step is a topic with the real questions founders ask; open whichever one you're stuck on for the answer and the resources on it.

1. 1
   Validating your idea

   Get evidence before you write code.

   What does 'validating an idea' actually mean? 20 → How do I know if my idea is any good? 18 → How do I validate an idea without building anything? 18 → How do I talk to customers without getting false positives? 20 → How many people should I talk to, and how do I find them? 17 → All 21 questions in Validating your idea →
2. 2
   Talking to customers & user research

   Learn the truth without leading the witness.

   How do I talk to customers without them just telling me what I want to hear? 24 → What questions should I actually ask in a customer interview? 22 → How many customer interviews do I need before I trust the signal? 24 → Where do I find people to interview when I have zero audience? 24 → How do I run customer discovery as an Indian founder building for Indian users? 24 → All 18 questions in Talking to customers & user research →
3. 3
   Understanding the problem (JTBD)

   People hire products to do a job, find the job.

   What does 'jobs to be done' actually mean? 2 → How is JTBD different from features, personas, or user needs? 2 → How do I actually uncover the job my customers are hiring my product for? 3 → Who are my real competitors once I think in jobs to be done? 3 → How do I turn a job to be done into product and messaging decisions? 2 → All 17 questions in Understanding the problem (JTBD) →
4. 4
   Competitive & market research

   Know the landscape better than the incumbents.

   How do I research my competitors properly? 2 → What if my customers say they have no competitors, is that good or bad? 2 → What tools should I use to track competitors and market landscape? 2 → How do I position against a bigger, better-funded competitor? 2 → How do I size the market and figure out if it's big enough? 2 → All 18 questions in Competitive & market research →