Opening Agora
All guidesResearch

Validate a business idea before spending heavily

Use interviews, observation, prototypes and paid experiments to test whether the problem and willingness to pay are real.

Write down the risky assumptions

List what must be true for the idea to work: the customer has the problem, cares enough to act, can be reached and will pay enough to support delivery.

Run the cheapest credible test

Interview target users, observe their current workaround, demonstrate a simple prototype or offer a manual version before building a full product.

Measure commitment, not compliments

Useful signals include a deposit, signed pilot, referral, repeat use or permission to follow up. Friendly praise is not demand.