How to Validate Startup Ideas Before Writing Code

Every entrepreneur has experienced it: the excitement of a new idea, the rush to start building, and then... crickets. No one uses it. No one pays for it.

The problem isn't that you built the wrong thing. The problem is that you built before validating.

What Validation Really Means

Validation doesn't mean:

• Asking friends if they like your idea
• Getting positive feedback on social media
• Having people say "I would totally use that"

Real validation means finding people who will actually pay for your solution to their problem.

The 3-Step Validation Framework

1. Find Real Problems

The best problems to solve are ones people are already actively experiencing. Look for:

• People asking for recommendations
• Complaints about existing solutions
• Workarounds and hacks people have created
• Questions that keep appearing repeatedly

Reddit is goldmine for this. People openly discuss their frustrations and ask for help. These conversations reveal genuine pain points.

2. Talk to Potential Users

Once you've identified a problem, reach out to people experiencing it:

• Ask about their current solution
• Understand what's missing
• Learn what they'd pay for a better option
• Get specific about features they need

Important: Don't pitch your solution yet. Just listen and learn.

3. Get Pre-Commitments

Before building anything substantial:

• Create a simple landing page describing your solution
• Offer early access or a discount for early adopters
• Ask for email addresses or small deposits
• Track how many people actually sign up

If people won't even give you their email, they definitely won't give you their money.

When to Start Building

You're ready to build when you have:

1. Clear understanding of the problem
2. Specific target customers identified
3. At least 10-20 people interested enough to sign up
4. Confirmation they'd pay for a solution

This might sound like a lot of work before writing code. But it's far less work than building something nobody wants.

The SaasOpportunities Advantage

We've done step #1 for you. Every opportunity on SaasOpportunities comes from real Reddit conversations where people are actively seeking solutions.

You can skip the "find a problem" phase and jump straight into validation and building. Each opportunity includes:

• The original Reddit posts and context
• Analysis of the problem and market
• Suggested features based on user requests
• Estimated market size and competition

Start with validated opportunities, and you'll dramatically increase your chances of building something people actually want and pay for.

Browse opportunities now →