Validating Before Building
Here’s the most expensive mistake in SaaS: building something nobody wants. Months of nights and weekends, thousands of dollars, all for a product that generates zero revenue.
Validation prevents this. It’s the process of confirming that real people want your solution and will pay for it—before you invest serious time building.
Why Most “Validation” Fails
People think they validate. They don’t.
Fake validation:
- Asking friends “would you use this?” (They’ll say yes to be nice)
- Posting on Reddit “would anyone pay for X?” (Hypothetical != real)
- Creating a survey (People lie on surveys)
- Counting “likes” on your idea (Likes don’t convert to dollars)
Real validation:
- Strangers say “I need this, where do I sign up?”
- Someone offers to pay before the product exists
- People describe your exact solution when discussing their problem
- Existing alternatives exist and have paying customers
The Validation Hierarchy
flowchart TD
A[Strongest: Money received] --> B[Strong: Money committed]
B --> C[Medium: Detailed engagement]
C --> D[Weak: Positive feedback]
D --> E[Worthless: Hypothetical interest]Move up this hierarchy as fast as possible. Don’t settle for weak signals when stronger ones are available.
The Mom Test
The most important book for validation is “The Mom Test” by Rob Fitzpatrick. Here’s the core principle:
Bad questions (everyone lies):
- “Do you think this is a good idea?”
- “Would you use this?”
- “Would you pay for this?”
Good questions (reveal truth):
- “Tell me about the last time you dealt with [problem]”
- “What have you tried to solve this?”
- “How much time/money do you spend on this currently?”
- “What would it mean if this problem was solved?”
The difference: bad questions ask for opinions about the future. Good questions ask about behavior in the past.
The Validation Process
Phase 1: Problem Validation
Goal: Confirm the problem is real and painful.
Method: Have 10+ conversations with potential customers.
Script:
1. "Tell me about how you handle [area your idea addresses]"
2. "What's the most frustrating part of that?"
3. "How often does this come up?"
4. "What have you tried to solve it?"
5. "What happened with those solutions?"
6. "If this was solved tomorrow, what would change for you?"What to listen for:
- Emotional language (“I hate this”, “it drives me crazy”)
- Frequency (“every single day”, “multiple times per week”)
- Failed attempts (“I tried X but it didn’t work because…”)
- Money spent (“we pay someone to do this”, “I bought Y but…”)
Red flags:
- “It’s not really a big deal”
- They’ve never tried to solve it
- The problem is rare or one-time
- No emotional investment in solving it
Phase 2: Solution Validation
Goal: Confirm your proposed solution resonates.
Method: Show a simple description/mockup and gauge reaction.
What to show:
- One-paragraph description of your solution
- Simple landing page explaining the value
- Basic mockup or wireframe
- Comparison to their current approach
Script:
1. "Based on what you told me, I'm thinking about building [solution]"
2. "It would work like [brief explanation]"
3. "What's your initial reaction?"
4. "What would make this a no-brainer for you?"
5. "What concerns would you have about using this?"
6. "If this existed today, what would you do?"What to listen for:
- “When can I use this?” (Strong signal)
- Specific feature requests (They’re mentally using it)
- Objections you can address (Engaged thinking)
- Comparison to alternatives (Evaluating seriously)
Red flags:
- “Sounds cool” with no follow-up questions
- No concerns at all (Not thinking critically)
- “Let me know when it’s ready” (Polite dismissal)
Phase 3: Payment Validation
Goal: Confirm willingness to pay actual money.
Method: Ask for commitment—ideally actual money.
Options (strongest to weakest):
-
Pre-sell: “I’m building this. $X gets you lifetime access + input on features. Want in?”
-
Deposit: “Put down $50 to reserve your spot. Refundable if I don’t deliver.”
-
Letter of intent: “Would you sign a document saying you’ll pay $X/month when this launches?”
-
Specific commitment: “If this was ready next month at $X/month, would you sign up on day one?”
What to listen for:
- “Yes, take my money” (Validated!)
- Specific negotiation on price or features (They want to buy)
- “Let me check with my boss” (B2B buying process)
- Request for a call to discuss further (Seriously interested)
Red flags:
- “Let me think about it” (Usually means no)
- Price objections for reasonable prices (Wrong customer or wrong problem)
- “I’d need to see it first” (Translation: probably not)
Finding People to Validate With
Where to Find Potential Customers
Online communities:
- Reddit (find relevant subreddits)
- Twitter/X (follow hashtags, join conversations)
- LinkedIn (industry groups)
- Slack communities
- Discord servers
- Facebook groups
- Industry forums
In person:
- Meetups
- Conferences
- Co-working spaces
- Professional associations
- Your existing network
How to Start Conversations
Cold outreach template:
Hi [Name],
I noticed you [something specific about them].
I'm researching how [target audience] handles [problem area].
Would you have 15 minutes for a quick call?
I'm not selling anything—just trying to understand the problem better.
Either way, [something genuine about their work].
[Your name]Response rates to expect:
- Cold email: 5-15%
- LinkedIn: 10-20%
- Warm intro: 40-60%
- Community engagement: 20-30%
You need 10+ conversations. Expect to reach out to 50-100 people.
The Landing Page Test
A landing page with an email signup can validate demand at scale.
What to Include
- Headline: Clear value proposition
- Problem: 2-3 sentences about the pain
- Solution: What your product does
- Benefits: 3-4 bullet points
- CTA: Email signup or waitlist
- Social proof: If you have any
How to Drive Traffic
- Post in relevant communities (provide value, don’t spam)
- Share on your social media
- Ask interviewees to share
- Consider $50-100 in targeted ads as a test
What to Measure
- Conversion rate: Visitors → signups
- Quality of signups: Do they match your target customer?
- Engagement: Do people reply to your welcome email?
Benchmarks:
- 5%+ conversion: Good signal
- 10%+ conversion: Strong signal
- 20%+ conversion: Exceptional signal
When Validation Is Complete
You’re ready to build when:
✅ 10+ conversations confirm the problem is painful and frequent ✅ Your solution resonated with 70%+ of conversations ✅ 3+ people have committed to paying (or actually paid) ✅ You understand who your customer is (job title, company size, etc.) ✅ You know where to find more customers like them
Not ready if:
- Only friends and family have shown interest
- No one has committed money
- You still don’t know who your exact customer is
- You can’t explain why your solution is better than alternatives
Validation Timeline
| Week | Activities |
|---|---|
| 1 | Create target list, draft outreach messages |
| 2 | Reach out to 50+ people, schedule calls |
| 3 | Conduct problem validation calls (10+) |
| 4 | Create landing page, begin solution validation |
| 5 | Continue calls, get payment commitments |
| 6 | Evaluate signals, decide go/no-go |
Spend 4-6 weeks on validation. It feels slow but saves months of building the wrong thing.
Practice Exercise
Start validation this week:
- Identify 30 potential customers you could reach out to
- Write your outreach message using the template above
- Create your conversation script based on the Mom Test principles
- Send 10 outreach messages today
- Schedule your first conversation this week
Track your responses and conversation outcomes. Adjust your approach based on what you learn.
Key Takeaways
- Real validation requires conversations and money, not surveys and likes
- Use the Mom Test: ask about past behavior, not future intentions
- The validation hierarchy: payment > commitment > engagement > feedback
- You need 10+ conversations and 3+ payment commitments
- Spend 4-6 weeks validating—it saves months of wasted building
Next: How to build an MVP in weeks, not months.