How to Validate Market Needs Before Development

Imagine spending months building a product, only to hear crickets at launch. 😱 Before coding, ask yourself: “𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?” I once stopped a founder who wanted us to develop his product from diving into development too soon: “𝘎𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.” So, instead of us jumping directly into coding, He tested the idea with a 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 & 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 and discovered critical tweaks that saved months of effort. 🔥 𝟲 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗩𝗣 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: ✅ 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀 - Skip assumptions. Five real conversations reveal more than weeks of guesswork. ✅ 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 – Create a simple page & see if people sign up. Buffer’s founder validated demand this way! ✅ 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 – Show value before building. Dropbox’s MVP was just a 3-min video—75K signups followed! ✅ “𝗪𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘇” 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 – Manually deliver the service while users think it’s automated. If they love it, build later. ✅ 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝘆 – Pre-orders, deposits, or dummy “Buy Now” buttons reveal real demand. ✅ 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 & 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 – If people actively seek solutions but remain unsatisfied, you’ve found a gap. 🎯 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: Set a validation benchmark. Example: “20%+ 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯-𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 = 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥.” 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 – 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗩𝗣 𝘂𝗽𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁?  Share your best hacks! Your tip could save someone from building something nobody wants. 💡🚀

I've distilled 10+ years of product leadership experience into 9 actionable strategies for cracking new markets. Heads of Product, if you struggle with: - de-risking your product bets - not being connected to the target market - juggling build and delivery while facing hiring restrictions I feel your pain. I've been there. Over time, I've done 1000s+ customer interviews and helped 70+ startups raise over $20M. I've found the steps that repeatedly work → Use them to turn prospective customers into validated problems to solve: 1. Leverage LinkedIn strategically Use Sales Navigator to create a focused list in your new market. This saves you time and connects you to the right people. 2. Automate outreach (without losing the human touch) Set up a system to reach out authentically at scale. No more manual tracking of referrals or forgetting follow-ups. 3. Schedule discovery calls efficiently Use tools like Calendly or Cal(.)com to streamline scheduling. Your goal: Get a 30-minute Zoom without the back-and-forth. 4. Master the art of listening On the call, let them do 80% of the talking. Dig for the most burning problems. 5. Record and analyze systematically Use AI-powered tools to capture and analyze every conversation. This frees you up to focus on insights, not note-taking. I've found Granola and Fathom to be my personal favorites. 6. Identify patterns across interviews Look for recurring themes. These are your goldmines for product development. 7. Formulate clear problem hypotheses Create testable statements about the problems you've uncovered. This guides your product strategy. 8. Validate with data Return to your prospects with your hypotheses. Gather quantitative feedback to support your product decisions. 9. Iterate and refine rapidly Use this feedback to sharpen your problem definition and product direction. Be prepared to pivot quickly. When you identify problems - you can create a data-driven roadmap to product-market fit with the new audience. And the best part? You're doing it efficiently, without burning out, missing key insights, or just following competitors blindly.

Building a product today isn't as challenging as it used to be. With automation tools and DIY platforms, anyone can launch something quickly. But here's the problem that keeps founders up at night: 42% of startups fail by creating products with no market need. Building without validation is like flying blind. You risk investing months of time and thousands of dollars into something no one wants. That's why we use Letters of Intent (LOIs)— They prove customer interest before you write a single line of code. 💡 Every LOI becomes part of a structured experiment to validate 3 factors: 1. Desirability: Do people want this? 2. Feasibility: Can we build it? 3. Viability: Will it be profitable? Take our client Jules— When they struggled to gain traction, we ran an LOI experiment to validate market demand. By engaging directly with their target customers, we saved them tens of thousands in development costs. 📝 Here's our exact validation process: Step 1: Document your hypotheses Write down every assumption about your market, customers, and solution. The clearer your assumptions, the better your experiment. Step 2: Design the experiment Set a concrete target — like securing 10 LOIs in 4 weeks from customers who'll commit to a pilot test. Step 3: Have deep discussions with customers Ask them… - What's your biggest pain point? - What tools are you using today? - How would this fit your workflow? - What's this problem costing you? These insights will help you refine the product *and* your understanding of the customer’s needs. ✅ LOI experiment success could look like… - 10 LOIs signed within 4 weeks - Positive feedback on the product’s potential value - Confirmation the product can integrate with essential systems and tools ❎ On the other hand, failure signals could be… - Fewer than 5 LOIs signed, signaling a misaligned value proposition - Lack of interest in transitioning to a paid plan after a free pilot - Feedback that reveals technical barriers If your experiment fails, don’t panic. Use the feedback to… - Revisit your product’s value proposition - Adjust your target market - Refine your pricing strategy Validation isn't about avoiding failure— It's about building something people actually need (and will pay for). PS—see my full guide on validating before building here: https://buff.ly/3ZMOLjH

99% of founders struggle to find product-market fit. Here's the #1 reason they crash their business off a cliff: ↓ Most skip the crucial step of market research. They don’t talk to their prospects. They don’t listen to the exact words of their audience. 7 ways you can avoid this fatal mistake (and stay in the game long enough to win): ↓ 1. Research is the foundation of success. Skipping market research is like building a house without a foundation. • Talk to your prospects. • Understand their pain points. • Use their language, not your interpretation. Your offer must resonate with their reality. ↓ 2. Direct engagement reveals the truth. While building Brain Apes, I spent countless hours interviewing prospects. Their insights shaped our services. • I didn’t assume—I asked • I listened to their frustrations • I used their words to craft our messaging This connection built our brand’s authenticity. — Example: Just 2 days ago, I asked for help on the new book I'm writing about moving from a job—to having the business, the freedom, and the life you want. And the support has been amazing and absolutely unreal. (My calendar is PACKED with calls.) And that's how we deliver magic! ↓ 3. Here’s the magic source: People tell you what they want. But you have to ask and listen. • Direct convos reveal unmet needs • Surveys can provide a broader perspective • Social media interactions can highlight trends Every word they share is a clue to success. And the exact words are like spells in messaging. ↓ 4. You can’t sell what hasn’t been validated. Validation saves you from costly mistakes. • Test your ideas with a small audience • Gather feedback and iterate • Adjust based on what you learn Your offer evolves with every interaction. ↓ 5. Extend your runway by selling validated products. In the early days, I solved problems firsthand. Then built leverage on those proven services. • This strategy funded our growth • It gave us time to refine and perfect our unique offers • Stability came from products people already wanted Those were the things I personally needed too. Sell what’s needed to fuel innovation. ↓ 6. Language is your strongest tool. Your audience’s words are the keys to their hearts. • Show them you understand their struggles • Use their exact phrases in your messaging • Reflect their emotions and experiences This builds trust and connection. ↓ 7. Market research is not a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process that evolves with your business. • Regularly engage with your audience • Stay updated on their changing needs • Adapt your offers to meet these new demands Continuous research keeps you aligned with your market. ↓ ♻️ Smash that repost button! ♻️ Follow me for more insights and tips! 🔔 Then hit the bell—never miss a post 🔔 ↓ Hot take: ChatGPT isn't market research. Agree/Disagree 💬 ↓ P.S. How do you perform market research? 💬 Tell me in the comments. ↓

We're building a "No Unicorn" venture studio After 15 years building and selling B2B software, I noticed something: The gap between "lifestyle business" and "unicorn startup" is massive, yet largely ignored. We're building a different kind of venture studio. One focused on creating $1-5M ARR B2B software companies. Not sexy enough for VC, too scalable for traditional bootstrapping, but great for the founders since we retain 100% equity. What makes this studio different: First, we're entirely self-funded. No limited partners, no fund economics, no pressure to force growth at the expense of unit economics. Just pure focus on building sustainable, profitable software businesses. Second, we're exclusively focused on B2B SaaS. Not marketplaces, not consumer apps, not Web3. Just solving painful problems for businesses willing to pay for solutions. Third, we won't build anything without committed customers. No product roadmap conversations, no feature discussions, no MVP builds until we have signed pilot commitments. Our validation framework is intentionally strict: 1. The problem must be PAMS-aligned. The problem needs to be painful enough that prospects write checks immediately, active in their daily or weekly work (not yearly or quarterly), have measurable impact on business metrics, and be shared across multiple stakeholders. 2. Market validation through cold outreach. We need to secure 3 paid pilot commitments without a product demo, just by describing the solution through cold email. If we can't, we move on. No exceptions. 3. Direct monetization only. We focus on subscription revenue from day one. No "we'll figure out monetization later," no marketplace fees, no data monetization, no ad-supported models. Why this matters: Most founders waste months or years building products nobody wants. Or worse, products people want but won't pay for. Our approach flips this: validate first, build second. Get paid commitments, not verbal interest. Focus on problems, not solutions. Build only what customers will pay for today. This isn't about building "small" companies. It's about building smart ones. Companies that generate cash from day one, grow through profit rather than funding, solve real problems for real businesses, and build lasting value for customers and founders.

92% of healthtech founders make the same mistake: They wait until their product is perfect before launching. Founders spend months building - refining features, fixing bugs, polishing UX. But when they finally launch? – No users – No feedback – No market pull Because they were optimizing for perfection - not market validation. The best founders don't wait to sell. They start before they're "ready." Here's the exact playbook that works: ▶︎ 1. Build your target list first Identify 100 specific people who feel your problem daily. Whether its a diagnostic tool or a workflow software, be as specific as you can. ▶︎ 2. Find them where they already socialise Join medical/health groups on LinkedIn, attend conferences, follow their publications. Don't cold email - engage with their content first. Comment thoughtfully on their posts about industry challenges. ▶︎ 3. Share one painful problem you've discovered each week Example - "I noticed ICU nurses spend 40% of their shift on documentation instead of patient care." Ask if others see this too. You'll get replies from people living this problem daily. ▶︎ 4. Turn conversations into 15-minute calls When someone engages, offer: "I'm exploring solutions to this exact problem - would you spare 15 minutes to share what you've tried?" Most say yes because you're asking for expertise, not selling. ▶︎ 5. Test demand before building Mock up a landing page. Show what the product might do. Then ask: “If this existed, would you pilot it for 30 days?” Real demand = budget, pilot interest, usage. Founders who do this aren’t waiting to get “fundable.” They’re testing their demand and product from day 1. Because your goal isn't to impress investors. It's to find 100 people who can't live without what you're building. So if you are still in the pre-launch stage, DM me what you’re building and I’ll send a few ways to test it fast. #entrepreneurship #startup #funding

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 — 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗗𝗅 An AI founder recently approached me, frustrated after being turned down by multiple investors. He had spent $300,000 developing a product for wellness… but hadn’t validated demand. After 6 months of pitching, he hadn’t closed a single funding deal. Why? Because investors want more than a great pitch. They want proof that people need what you’re building. Without validation, every dollar invested is just a gamble. Founders, if you’re in the AI or wellness space, listen closely: Market validation isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of every successful funding round. Here’s how we turned his pitch around and secured his first investment: 📌 Showed User Feedback ↳ Investors don’t want assumptions; they want data from real users. ↳ We collected feedback from 50 target users to show exactly who required this. 📌 Highlighted Key Retention Metrics ↳ High retention means high value. We refined the product until users stuck around. ↳ Investors saw that users kept coming back—a strong validation signal. 📌 Demonstrated Scalable Demand ↳ We ran small, high-impact campaigns to validate the broader market. ↳ These tests showed that with funding, the product could grow sustainably. Result? Within 4 weeks, this founder’s validation data secured $700,000 in funding. Investors saw more than a product—they saw a viable market and a founder who did the work. Here’s the truth: Skipping market validation doesn’t just hurt your product. It kills your funding. Are you validating your market, or just hoping it works? Let’s talk below if you’re ready to discuss real market validation strategies. 👇