Home / Business & Strategy / Business Planning

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.
Download pack .md
More in Business Planning
90-Day Growth Plan with Weekly Priorities for Your BusinessNewBusiness PlanningTakes your business, monthly revenue and biggest bottleneck and returns a 90-day growth plan broken into weekly priorities.
My business: [business]
Monthly revenue: $[x]
My biggest bottleneck: [problem]

Task: build a growth plan for the next 90 days, with the priorities for each week. Lay it out week by week.
Download .txtDownload .mdOpen page
Boardroom-Ready Corporate Presentation with SWOT and ForecastsNewBusiness PlanningProduces a formal, corporate presentation on your topic: professional tone, structured bullet points, charts and graphs, a SWOT analysis, trends, forecasts and recommendations backed by data, suitable for a board meeting.
Topic: [topic]

Task: create a presentation on this topic in a formal corporate style, fit for a boardroom. Include:
- a professional tone
- structured bullet points
- charts and graphs
- a SWOT analysis
- trends
- forecasts
- recommendations backed by data
Download .txtDownload .mdOpen page
Brutally Honest Business Idea Audit with a 90-Day PlanNewBusiness PlanningAudits your business idea the way a senior strategy consultant would, listing three strengths, three weaknesses and three market openings, then laying out an action plan for the next 90 days, with no sugar-coating.
Role: you are a senior management consultant at a top-tier strategy firm.

My business idea: [idea]

Task: audit this idea and give me:
1. 3 strengths
2. 3 weaknesses
3. 3 market opportunities
4. a 90-day action plan

Be brutally honest. Do not soften your verdict.
Download .txtDownload .mdOpen page
Common First-Time Founder Mistakes for Your Idea and How to Avoid ThemNewBusiness PlanningLists the mistakes that first-time founders typically make in the space of your idea and, for each one, explains how to avoid it, in plain and direct language.
My idea: [idea]

Task: list the mistakes that founders on their first venture usually make in this space, and for each one explain how to avoid it.

Rule: be direct.
Download .txtDownload .mdOpen page
Competitive Advantages, Opportunities and Pivots for Your BusinessNewBusiness PlanningActs as a strategy consultant for your business: names your 3 strongest competitive advantages, the 3 largest market openings over the coming 6 months and 3 pivots worth considering, with a blunt look at your weaknesses.
Role: you are a strategic business consultant.

My business: [your business]
My target audience: [your audience]

Task: help me find:
1. My 3 strongest competitive advantages
2. The 3 biggest market opportunities over the next 6 months
3. 3 strategic pivots I should consider

Be completely honest about my weaknesses, even if it is uncomfortable.
Download .txtDownload .mdOpen page