Resources Before you build
Validate your idea before you write a line of code
Years inside an industry tell you where the pain is. They do not tell you whether people will pay for your fix. Five checks that do, all before anyone writes code.
Founders who come from inside a market have an advantage most startups never get: they have done the job, met the buyer and watched the workaround fail. That is why we build with domain experts. But insider knowledge is a hypothesis, and the most expensive way to test it is to build the product first.
Validation is not a survey or a landing page with a waitlist. It is evidence that named people will change what they do, and spend money, to get the result you promise. Here is how to collect it in a few weeks.
1. Name ten customers, by company and person
Write down ten real organisations that have the problem, and the person in each who feels it. Not "care providers in the UK", but "the registered manager at a 40-bed home in Leeds". If you cannot name ten, you do not yet know who you are selling to, and no build will fix that.
This list is also your first sales pipeline. Every step below runs through it.
2. Run problem interviews, not pitch meetings
Talk to as many of the ten as you can, and ask about the problem before you mention a product. Good questions:
- Walk me through the last time this happened. What did you do?
- What does it cost you today, in staff hours, spreadsheets, fines or lost customers?
- What have you tried? Why did you stop?
- Who else has to agree before you buy something to fix it?
You are listening for a cost they can put a number on, and a workaround they are unhappy with. Compliments about your idea are not evidence.
3. Have the price conversation early
At the end of a good interview, describe the first release in one sentence and ask what it would be worth to them. Then name a price and watch the reaction. A buyer who negotiates is interested. A buyer who says "sounds great, let us know when it is ready" usually is not.
4. Ask for a letter of intent
A letter of intent is a short, non-binding document: the named product, a rough price, and the intention to pilot it. It costs the customer nothing but a signature, which is exactly why it is a useful filter. People who will not sign a letter will not sign a contract.
5. Ask for money
The strongest signal there is: a deposit or founding fee for early access. It does not need to be large. What matters is that a customer moved money before the product existed. In our Studio Bet track, paid pilot deposits are the entry requirement, because nothing else predicts a working product as well.
The evidence ladder
| Signal | What it tells you | How much it counts |
|---|---|---|
| "Great idea" | They are polite. | Nothing |
| A clear, costed problem | The pain is real and has a price. | A start |
| Yes on a call to paying for a fix | The value is understood. | Useful |
| Signed letter of intent | They will put their name to it. | Strong |
| Paid deposit or founding fee | They will put money on it. | The strongest |
How long it takes
For a founder with an industry network, four to six weeks is realistic: a week to build the list, two or three weeks of interviews, and a week or two to turn the best conversations into letters and deposits. If it is taking much longer, that is information too.
Mistakes we see often
- Only talking to friendly contacts. Former colleagues want to help you. Strangers in the target role tell you the truth.
- Validating the problem but not the buyer. The person with the pain is not always the person with the budget.
- Treating a waitlist as demand. An email address costs nothing to give.
- Building to prove the idea. A prototype helps a conversation. It is not a substitute for one.
When you are ready to build
You have a named list, a costed problem, a few letters and ideally a deposit. That is the point where a first release is worth paying for, and where the right build partner can scope it properly. Our readiness check runs the same twelve questions we ask on every application, so you can see where you stand first.