Validates business ideas before coding using demand tests, smoke tests, fake doors, landing pages, and go/no-go frameworks for bootstrapped founders.
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The #1 reason startups fail is "no market need." Validation isn't about asking people if they'd use something — it's about observing whether they'll pay, sign up, or take action. This skill helps you test demand before writing a single line of code.
Provides Ktor server patterns for routing DSL, plugins (auth, CORS, serialization), Koin DI, WebSockets, services, and testApplication testing.
Conducts multi-source web research with firecrawl and exa MCPs: searches, scrapes pages, synthesizes cited reports. For deep dives, competitive analysis, tech evaluations, or due diligence.
Provides demand forecasting, safety stock optimization, replenishment planning, and promotional lift estimation for multi-location retailers managing 300-800 SKUs.
The #1 reason startups fail is "no market need." Validation isn't about asking people if they'd use something — it's about observing whether they'll pay, sign up, or take action. This skill helps you test demand before writing a single line of code.
Before running experiments, pressure-test the idea itself. These six questions expose fatal flaws fast — answer them honestly, not optimistically.
| Your Stage | Focus On |
|---|---|
| Pre-product (just an idea) | Q1, Q2, Q3 |
| Have a prototype or early users | Q2, Q4, Q5 |
| Have paying customers | Q4, Q5, Q6 |
Q1 — Demand Reality: What evidence do you have — beyond your own experience — that someone else actually wants this? Not "I think people need it." What have you seen, heard, or measured?
Q2 — Status Quo: What are people in your field doing right now to handle this — even badly? What does that workaround cost them in time, money, or errors?
Q3 — Desperate Specificity: Name one specific person who needs this most. Not "dentists" — which dentist, at which practice, with what problem? If you can't name someone, you haven't found your customer yet.
Q4 — Narrowest Wedge: What's the smallest version of this someone would pay for this week — not after you build the platform? One screen, one workflow, one outcome.
Q5 — Observation: Have you watched a colleague struggle with this task without helping them? What surprised you about how they actually do it vs. how you assumed?
Q6 — Future-Fit: How does your industry change in 3 years, and does that make this tool more essential or less?
Interest is not demand. Waitlist signups are not demand. Someone would be genuinely upset if it disappeared — that's demand.
"Everyone in my field needs this" means you haven't found anyone specific yet. The more universal you think the need is, the less validated it actually is.
The status quo is your real competitor — not the other startup. It's the spreadsheet-and-email workaround people already live with. You have to be dramatically better than "good enough."
Before you validate your solution, validate that the problem exists and is painful enough to pay for.
Where to look for evidence:
| Source | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Reddit, forums, communities | People complaining about the problem repeatedly |
| Google Trends | Search volume for problem-related terms |
| Competitor reviews (G2, Capterra) | 1-3 star reviews mentioning unmet needs |
| Twitter/X | People publicly frustrated with current solutions |
| Your own experience | You've felt this pain yourself (strongest signal) |
Tell AI:
Research the problem of [describe the problem].
Find evidence that people are actively looking for solutions:
- Search volume for related terms
- Reddit/forum threads where people discuss this pain
- Competitors that exist (even partial solutions)
- How much people currently pay to solve this (or workarounds they use)
Summarize: Is this a real, painful, frequent problem?
The Mom Test — Never ask leading questions. Instead:
| Bad Question | Good Question |
|---|---|
| "Would you use an app that does X?" | "How do you currently handle X?" |
| "Would you pay for this?" | "What do you spend on solving X today?" |
| "Do you think this is a good idea?" | "Tell me about the last time X was a problem." |
| "Would this be useful?" | "What have you tried? What didn't work?" |
Conversation template:
1. "What's the hardest part about [area]?"
2. "Tell me about the last time that happened."
3. "How did you deal with it?"
4. "What didn't work about that solution?"
5. "If you could wave a magic wand, what would change?"
6. "How much time/money does this cost you today?"
Talk to 10-15 potential customers. If 8+ describe the same pain with intensity, you have signal.
The strongest validation signals, ranked:
| Signal | Strength |
|---|---|
| They pre-pay before the product exists | Strongest |
| They sign up for a waitlist with a credit card | Very strong |
| They sign up for a waitlist with email | Strong |
| They click a "Buy" button (fake door test) | Moderate |
| They say "I'd definitely pay for that" | Weak |
| They say "That's a cool idea" | Worthless |
If you're a [profession] building for other [professionals], you already have what most founders spend months trying to get: direct access to target customers.
See translate skill for identifying which pain is worth building for, and niche-advantage for leveraging your professional network.
Create a landing page describing your product. Drive traffic. Measure signups.
Tell AI:
Create a landing page for [product idea] that:
- Clearly describes the problem and solution
- Has a CTA: "Join the waitlist" or "Get early access"
- Collects email addresses
- Optionally asks 1-2 qualifying questions (role, company size)
Target: 100 visitors, measure signup rate.
Benchmarks:
Add a button or link for a feature that doesn't exist yet. Measure clicks.
1. Create a CTA for the feature: "Try [Feature Name]"
2. When clicked, show: "This feature is coming soon!
Sign up to be the first to know."
3. Collect email.
4. Measure click rate.
Offer the product at a discount before it exists. If people pay, you have validation.
"[Product] launches in [timeframe]. Get 50% off as a founding member.
$X/month (normally $Y/month). Cancel anytime."
If 10+ strangers pay, build it. If 0 pay, pivot.
After running validation experiments, score your idea:
Validation Scorecard:
Score (1-5)
Problem frequency (daily=5, yearly=1): ___
Problem intensity (hair on fire=5): ___
Willingness to pay (pre-paid=5): ___
Market size (>$1B TAM=5): ___
Your unique advantage (deep=5): ___
Current solutions (none/bad=5): ___
Total: ___/30
25-30: Strong go. Build the MVP.
18-24: Promising. Run one more validation experiment.
12-17: Weak. Pivot the angle or audience.
<12: No go. Find a different problem.
| Channel | Cost | Speed | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your personal network | Free | Fast | Medium (biased) |
| Reddit / niche communities | Free | Medium | High (real users) |
| Twitter/X DMs to people with the problem | Free | Medium | High |
| Facebook/LinkedIn groups | Free | Medium | Medium |
| Google Ads to landing page | $50-200 | Fast | High (intent-based) |
| Cold email to prospects | Free | Slow | High |
| Indie Hackers / HN | Free | Medium | Medium |
Tell AI:
Help me find 5 specific online communities where [target audience]
hangs out and discusses [problem area]. For each, give me:
- The community name and link
- How active it is
- Rules about self-promotion
- A non-spammy way to start conversations about [problem]
Week 1: Problem research + 5 customer conversations
Week 2: 5 more conversations + landing page live
Week 3: Drive traffic to landing page (100+ visitors)
Week 4: Analyze results, make go/no-go decision
Total cost: $0-200
Total time: 10-15 hours
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Building before validating | Spend $0 and 2 weeks on validation before writing any code |
| Asking friends and family | Talk to strangers who match your target customer |
| Asking "Would you use this?" | Ask about their current behavior and spending |
| Taking "That's a cool idea" as validation | Only actions count: signups, pre-payments, clicks |
| Validating once and stopping | Re-validate at every stage (pricing, features, positioning) |
| Giving up after 3 conversations | Talk to at least 10-15 people before deciding |
| Over-validating (analysis paralysis) | Set a deadline. Decide by week 4 |