🗞 What's New: When is a product truly validated?

When is a product validated?

• When people are giving you money for it. Start with conversations, get paid before you build, and never stop validating.
• Writing well is a valuable skill for all founders, and can help increase revenue. People learn the most when they're surprised. So, surprise them.
• From zero to $5K+ MRR in 18 months. When Lukas Hermann switched from X to other online communities, he found his paying audience.

Looking for an email marketing tool to take your business to new heights? EmailTooltester's Smart Quiz helps you decide between Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse, etc. in under a minute! Over 10 years of experience testing 15+ newsletter services in one simple quiz.

Take the quiz to find the perfect newsletter tool in seconds! #ad

Want to grow your business? Try running a promo in the Indie Hackers newsletter to get in front of nearly 70,000+ founders.

by James Fleischmann

Last week, I hosted a roundtable about ideation with indie hackers who have brought multiple product ideas to market. This week, I asked them about how they validate their ideas.

Validation processes

Justin Welsh:

Lean idea validation:

• X account.
• Free landing page.
• Prospect conversations.

You just saved $1K+, and a lot of time.

JT:

I work backwards from the customer. When I have an idea, I start by getting on a call with several potential customers. I ask them all the same set of questions, then present my offering and pre-sell it to them. I'm looking for confirmation that they would pay for the product.

Angus Cheng:

Usually, I plan an MVP, build it as quickly as possible, then get people to use it. After that, I try to get people to pay.

I think the best form of pre-validation would be selling the service before you build it. Game developers are great at this!

Get paid before you build

John Doherty:

My validation process is first seeing if someone will pay me for the thing before I have actually built it. Then, and only then, will I build out a landing page, figure out how to take payments, how to deliver it, and so on.

I launched Credo when I had agencies who were paying me for leads. I launched EditorNinja only when I had two customers ready to commit, so we had $898 MRR on day one.

Tony Dinh:

These days, I have a decent audience on X, so I use that advantage to validate ideas. I usually tweet about the idea, or build a small prototype to see if people are interested.

Start with conversations

Mac Martine:

I usually start with one of three ways of validating an idea. The first one takes the longest but, if done right, it's most likely to result in a successful business. Talk to a lot of people about their pain, then create a solution.

The second way can also take a long time, and may be the least likely to result in a successful business. Build the product first, try to get it in front of people, and hope they buy.

The third option, which is by far the quickest, is to set up a landing page with a waitlist form (I'm doing this currently with SaaS Pulse) and a "Buy" button, and drive people to that.

Don't bother validating

Anthony Goubard:

I don't have a validation process. I have an Excel sheet with software ideas and potential features for the software. If, after a few days, weeks, or months, I still think it's a good idea, I'll do it.

I'm focused on enjoying the journey rather than the destination. I won't be disappointed if a product fails. Every download or sale is a win. I'm only concerned with building software that I would use, and that I'm proud of.

Never stop validating

John Doherty:

You should always continue validating your idea. Product-market fit is a constantly shifting target, so you should always validate that your product is continuing to fit the market.

As you try new things or roll out new features, validate that they meet the need.

Discuss this story.

This issue is sponsored by Memberful

Add paid newsletters, gated content & more to your business with Memberful!

Memberful seamlessly integrates with popular tools like WordPress, Mailchimp, and Discord! Plus, you get full control and ownership of all things related to your audience, finances, and business.

Try Memberful for free today!

from The Hustle newsletter

What's the fastest way to build wealth online today? Writing, says David Perell, a founder who runs a prolific writing school generating $2M+ ARR.

Good writing will set you apart in any business, but it goes beyond words on a page.

First, improve your ideas

Many founders struggle with idea generation. David's secret to keeping a well of awesome topics to write about? It's not about having new, original ideas all the time, but making a habit of capturing information you encounter.

1. Save what you consume:

Having a note-taking system will move you from information scarcity to abundance. Once you start saving ideas from your content diet, they compound to generate value, and information starts to look more like an assembly line.

You don't have to be original. You can gather ideas you like, save them, and watch new connections emerge.

2. Notebooks:

Keep two notebooks: One hot and one cold.

Hot notebooks are project-based. Document writing projects you're actively working on, like an essay outline, a draft, or a pitch. They should be actionable, meaning that you know how you'll use this information.

Cold notebooks are information-based. Save things that don't fit into a specific project you're working on, like random thoughts and ideas that could be useful in the future.

Then, improve your writing

1. Use the content triangle:

You wouldn't build and ship a product without iterations, but that's what most people tend to do with writing. Don't.

Your work needs to go through a series of conversations, feedback, and iterations before it's distributed widely. That way, you continually receive feedback, which will help you become a better writer.

*Source: David Perell

So, don't hole up in your attic, cranking out content until you deem it "perfect." Instead, start sharing it online.

2. Hone your craft:

When you sit down to write, set a timer. Record yourself. Writing isn't just about typing, so structure your ideas by recording yourself talking.

Use information to surprise. People learn the most when they're surprised. Pay attention to what's surprising, and double down on it. This can be an unexpected number, a contrarian opinion, or a mystically growing trend.

Finally, your writing should have a rhythm. Rather than stacking long, boring sentences together, try variations of tone and length to create an enjoyable reading experience.

*A famous lesson from the OG writing teacher Gary Provost. Source: Medium

Subscribe to The Hustle newsletter for more.

from the Growth Trends newsletter

🔎 Meta announces updates for lead gen campaigns.

👀 The risks and rewards of building on OpenAI.

💲 Get $100 off an In the News section ad with code MINUS100.

🍪 Cookie permissions 101.

🤖 New ways to use ChatGPT for SEO and marketing.

🔁 The founder's guide to growth loops.

Check out Growth Trends for more curated news items focused on user acquisition and new product ideas.

by Leo Askan

Lukas Hermann and his wife have been building Stagetimer, a remote-controlled countdown timer for video productions, for a couple of years.

Getting started

I started my journey as a software developer in a startup. Before that, I had experience in freelancing, where I realized the limitations of trading time for money. I aspired to create something more scalable. That's when I got the idea for a timer tool.

The spark for this tool came while working with a friend who operated a video recording studio. I noticed a recurring issue: The need for a timer to synchronize recordings. I searched online for a web-based timer solution, but I couldn't find one that suited our needs.

This realization prompted me to take action. I decided to create a simple, one-page timer tool.

The launch

Once Stagetimer was up and running, I shared it on Reddit in r/commercialAV.

The response was positive. People not only found it useful, but also provided valuable feedback. This feedback encouraged me to keep refining and enhancing the tool, incorporating additional features suggested by the community.

Eight months later, I introduced a paid feature to monetize the tool. Surprisingly, despite my small online audience of 200 followers, someone made a purchase. This marked a pivotal moment in the project's journey and its path to success.

Going full-time and growing

It took 18 months to go from zero to $5K+ MRR. After that, I was laid off during the pandemic, which provided an opportunity to go full-time. I'm thankful to my wife for her support!

Our initial strategy involved sharing the project on X. But we quickly realized that our target customers weren't primarily on X, so we shifted our strategy to communities and forums where professionals and enthusiasts discuss video recording. These communities became valuable platforms for engagement.

Furthermore, we leveraged our app itself for promotion. By allowing users to share a link to their timers, we simplified the sharing process and increased product visibility. This tactic was particularly effective in contexts like churches and small meetups, where the Stagetimer branding became a part of the shared experience.

It's worth noting that we took inspiration from successful referral strategies like Dropbox's, where users invite others to gain more features or space. This referral approach also contributed to our early growth and brand exposure.

Additionally, we benefited from the organic word-of-mouth!

For more, check out the full interview in the SaaS Bootstrappers Newsletter here.

Discuss this story.

by Tweetmaster Flex

I post the tweets indie hackers share the most. Here's today's pick:

Forward it to a friend, and let them know they can subscribe here.

Also, you can submit a section for us to include in a future newsletter.

Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to James Fleischmann, Darko, Cyan Zhong, and Leo Askan for contributing posts. —Channing