Podcast · ~90 min

The Foundation Sprint: Test Any Idea in 2 Days

Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky · Lenny's Podcast Free Intermediate

From the creators of the Design Sprint, a structured two-day method to turn a fuzzy idea into a sharp, testable bet before you build anything. Useful when you have an idea but do not know what to validate first.

  • A repeatable structure beats staring at a blank doc.
  • Sharpen the bet before you test it.
  • Two days of thinking can save months of building.
Open on lennysnewsletter.com ↗

It answers 7 questions

  1. What does 'validating an idea' actually mean?
  2. How do I validate an idea without building anything?
  3. I'm passionate about an idea but have zero background in it. Should I still do it?
  4. How do I know if my idea is a real problem or just a 'nice to have'?
  5. I have too many ideas. How do I pick which one to actually work on?
  6. Should I validate an idea before I can code, or learn to build first?
  7. I want to test my idea before writing any code. What actually is a landing-page or concierge MVP and how do I run one right?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. Todd Jackson studied how dozens of now-large companies validated their very first idea. The pattern that repeats: deliver the... Lenny's Newsletter Article · ~15 min read How to Validate Your Startup Idea Todd Jackson
  3. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  4. Video · ~50 min How to Evaluate Startup Ideas Kevin Hale, Y Combinator
  5. The permission slip to recruit users by hand, do things manually, and deliver 'insanely great' experiences to your first few... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Do Things That Don't Scale Paul Graham
  6. If you are selling to companies rather than consumers, this is the specific playbook. Four concrete ways founders got signal... Lenny's Newsletter Article · ~12 min read How to Validate Your B2B Startup Idea Lenny Rachitsky
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