Is My Idea Any Good? 5 Ways to Test Before You Invest.

Starting a business or launching a new product is exciting—but before you pour time, money, and energy into making it real, you need to test if the idea holds up in the real world. I’ve seen too many founders spend months (or years) refining a product, only to launch and hear… crickets.

So, how do you avoid this? You test first, build second. Here’s some ideas how:

1. Talk to Real Potential Customers (Not Just Your Mates)

Your friends and family will tell you your idea is great. They love you. They want you to succeed. But they’re not your target market.

✅ Instead, find people who would actually pay for what you're selling.

If you’re launching a service, reach out to businesses or individuals who might need it and ask them what their biggest challenges are.
If you’re selling a product, post in relevant online communities or attend events where your potential customers hang out.
If your product is B2B, find decision-makers in the companies you’d target and get their thoughts.

This is the most important task when launching a new business. Make sure you talk to your customers. If you don't talk to them you won't know how to find them. And if you don't know how to find them you won't have a business.

💡 Tip: Avoid leading questions like, “Would you buy this?” People will say yes to be polite. Instead, ask “What are you using now? What’s frustrating about it?” If your idea genuinely solves a pain point, they’ll tell you.

2. See If People Will Pay Before You Build

If people are interested, the next step is seeing if they’ll actually part with their money.

✅ Ways to do this:

Set up a landing page that explains your product and has a “Buy Now” or “Pre-Order” button.
Offer a waitlist for early adopters—if no one signs up, that’s a red flag.
Try a crowdfunding campaign—you’ll quickly see if people are willing to back your idea.
If it’s a service, offer a beta version at a reduced rate and test it with real clients.

💡 Tip: The best validation is a paying customer. If no one is willing to pay now, they probably won’t later.

👉 I funded new events product development for years by offering early adopters a transparent view of the costs. Whatever your margin is, then offer the first people you pitch it to the chance to buy it at cost and get their feedback. Being transparent creates a different relationship that you can take advantage of in different ways. Often if you over deliver first time around they will buy again in the future.

3. Research the Market (Properly)

Many people think they don’t have competition. They do. Even if no one is selling your exact product, people are already solving the problem in some way.

✅ Things to research:

Who are your direct and indirect competitors?
What do customers like/dislike about existing solutions?
Is this a growing market, or is demand declining?
What are customers already spending on similar solutions?

💡 Tip: Don’t just Google it. Go on Reddit, LinkedIn, industry forums, and Facebook groups. See what people are complaining about. That’s where opportunity lies.

4. Test on a Small Scale First

Before you mass produce, hire a team, or sign a long-term lease, test your idea in a low-risk way.

✅ Ways to do this:

If it’s a physical product, create a small batch or a prototype and get feedback before manufacturing at scale.
If it’s a service, offer it to 5-10 test clients and refine based on their experience.
If it’s an app or software, build a no-code MVP (minimum viable product) and see if people actually use it.

💡 Tip: The best way to test an idea is to sell it before it exists. Can you create demand first and figure out the backend later?

5. Make Sure the Numbers Make Sense

Even if people love your idea, can you make money from it?

✅ Questions to answer:

What are your costs? (Manufacturing, marketing, overheads, etc.)
What will customers realistically pay?
How much volume do you need to be profitable?
How much will it cost to acquire each customer?

💡 Tip: If the numbers don’t work now, don’t force it. Either tweak the business model or find a way to lower your costs before going all in.

Checklist: Are You Ready to Invest in Your Idea?

✅ Have I spoken to real potential customers (not just friends & family)? ✅ Do I have evidence that people will pay for this? (Pre-orders, waitlist, beta clients) ✅ Do I understand my market and competitors? ✅ Have I tested on a small scale before making a big commitment? ✅ Do the financials add up?

If you’re checking most of these boxes, you’re onto something. But having a validated product doesn’t automatically mean it’s a viable business.

The next big question is: Is the market opportunity big enough?

🚀 How many potential customers are out there? 💰 Can this idea scale, or will you hit a revenue ceiling? 📊 Is there enough demand to sustain long-term growth?

That’s where business strategy comes in. A solid business isn’t just about a great idea—it’s about ensuring there’s a big enough market, a strong enough demand, and a clear path to growth.

How I Can Help!

Whether you have tested your idea or not and are wondering what comes next, I can help you figure out:

✔️ Help breaking down and validating your idea.

✔️ How to size up your market opportunity.

✔️ Where your competitors sit and how you can position yourself.

✔️ How to turn an idea into a structured business strategy.

🚀 Book a free 30-min call and let’s figure it out.

If you want help, reach out!

samueljpart@gmail.com