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Validate a Business Idea in 7 Phases, From Critique to Launch

Takes one business idea through seven checks: a skeptical critique, the ideal buyer, the realistic first-year market, competitors and white space, a demand-test post and DM, three pricing models and a 30-day launch plan with no ad budget.

idea validationcustomer profilemarket sizecompetitorslaunch plan
  1. Phase 1 — Skeptical stress test
    Take the role of a skeptical venture capitalist.

My business idea: [describe your business idea]

Find the weak spots. Give me the 5 most serious reasons this idea could fail, ranked from most to least serious. Do not soften anything: be brutally honest.
  2. Phase 2 — Ideal buyer profile
    My business idea: [describe your business idea]

Build a detailed profile of the person most likely to buy it. Include:
- age
- income
- frustrations they face every day
- solutions they have already tried
- why each of those solutions let them down
  3. Phase 3 — Realistic first-year market size
    My business idea: [describe your business idea]

Help me estimate how big the market for it realistically is. I do not want the total addressable market. I want the serviceable, reachable audience that a solo creator or a small team could actually turn into customers within the first year.

State the assumptions behind your estimate and give the result as a range.
  4. Phase 4 — Competitors and white space
    My business idea and niche: [describe your business idea / niche]

List the leading competitors in this space. For each one, describe:
- their core offer
- their pricing
- who they serve
- where they fall short

Present the competitors in a table, then tell me where the clear white space is.
  5. Phase 5 — Demand test post and cold DM
    My business idea: [describe your business idea]

Write two pieces I can send out today to test demand:
1. A Twitter/X post
2. A cold DM

Success means 10 real people replying "I would pay for that". The tone must feel natural, not salesy.
  6. Phase 6 — Three pricing models
    My offer: [describe your offer]

Suggest 3 pricing models I could use for it. For each model, explain:
- the psychology behind it
- the kind of buyer it attracts

Then tell me which one you would choose for a first launch, and why.
  7. Phase 7 — 30-day launch plan with no ad budget
    My business idea: [describe your business idea]

Create a simple 30-day launch plan with a budget of zero for ads. Cover:
- how I build awareness
- how I warm up an audience
- how I land my first 10 sales

Use only organic content and direct outreach.
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    My list of risks: [paste]

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    Context about my business: [paste]

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    My business model: [paste]

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    My top 3 risks: [paste]

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    My current risks: [paste]

Task: identify the risks with an asymmetric downside, meaning their probability is low but their impact would be catastrophic. Then explain how I should handle them differently from ordinary operational risks.
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    Last month's risk map and my updated context: [paste]

Task: review the map and tell me:
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My offer: [paste the offer from phase 2]

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My offer and audience: [paste the outputs of phases 2 and 3]

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traffic source → free value → email capture → nurturing → sale

Then, stage by stage, name the ONE asset I need to create and what it has to say. Leave out anything optional.
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    Role: you are a content strategist.

My audience and offer: [paste the outputs of phases 2 and 3]

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