Once you’ve picked an idea from the 101 niches list or the corporate niches list, it’s tempting to go build the whole thing. You can spend weeks on an app or a course and then find out nobody wants to pay for it.
A better first step is to test the idea with real people before you build much of anything. You can usually find out if an idea is worth building in about two weeks.
Five ways to test an idea
I’ll use the weekly seller report from the first post in this series as the example, the report our real estate agent never sent while our house was on the market.
1. Offer it to a handful of people
Before you build anything, reach out to five or ten people in your niche and describe what you’d make for them. For the seller report, you’d message a few agents and ask if they’d want a weekly update that goes to every seller automatically. Count how many say yes and ask when they’d want to start.
2. Build a simple version for one person
Pick one person who said yes and build the simplest version you can. For the seller report, that might be a Claude skill where the agent pastes in the week’s feedback and gets back a clean update. Watch how they use it and what they ask for.
3. Pre-sell it
Ask a few people to pay before it’s fully built, with a clear date for when they’ll get it. A small payment or deposit tells you a lot more than a “sounds great” does.
4. Ask your audience
If you already have an email list or a following, describe the idea and ask who wants it. This works best when your audience is the same group you’d be selling to.
5. Do it by hand first
For a few weeks, do the work yourself instead of building a tool. You could write the seller reports for three agents by hand every Friday. You’ll learn exactly what the tool needs to do, and you’re getting paid while you figure it out.
What counts as a yes
Decide this before you start, so you’re not talking yourself into an idea later. Here’s a simple way to think about it:
- Someone pays you. This is the strongest yes. Even one paying customer means the idea is worth more of your time.
- Several people ask when they can start. If three out of ten people want it and ask about timing, keep going.
- People say it sounds nice but don’t ask anything else. That’s usually a polite no. Ask them what would make it worth paying for.
A two-week test plan
Days 1 to 3: pick your idea and your people
Choose one idea and make a list of 10 people in that niche you can reach directly, like people you know, people in groups you’re part of or people a friend can introduce you to.
Days 4 to 7: reach out
Send a short message to each person describing the problem and what you’d make for them. Ask if it’s something they’d use and what it would be worth to them.
Days 8 to 14: deliver to the people who said yes
Build the simple version or do it by hand for the people who said yes, and ask the ones who were interested to pay or put down a deposit.
What to say when you reach out
Keep the message short and about their problem. Here’s an example for the seller report:
“Hi Sarah, I’m putting together a weekly update report for listing agents that pulls in showings, buyer feedback and online views and sends it to each seller automatically. Would something like that be useful for you? I’m setting it up for a few agents first, so I’d love to hear what you’d want in it.”
At this point you’re only asking whether the problem is real for them and what they’d want, and the people who say yes become your first test group.
Three things that throw off a test
- Building too much first. If you spend a month building before you talk to anyone, it gets a lot harder to hear that people don’t want it.
- Only asking friends. Friends often say yes to be nice. Talk to people who actually have the problem and would actually pay.
- Testing too many ideas at once. Pick one idea for each two-week test, so you know which idea the answers are about.
If the answer is no
A no is useful too. Ask the people who passed why it wasn’t a fit. Maybe the idea needs to change, maybe you’re talking to the wrong people or maybe it’s time to try your next idea. Either way, you found out in two weeks instead of after months of building.
Once an idea passes the test, this post on the three ways to make money from one idea can help you decide whether to teach it, build it for clients or sell it as a monthly tool.
The Pivot Idea Finder gives you three ideas, scored, and picks the best first test for your top idea based on what the idea is. Get it free here.
If you want help running your test and deciding what to do with the results, that’s what we work on together inside the Creator’s MBA AI Mastermind. You can take the quick quiz to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Find three ideas you could sell
Answer a few questions and get three ideas, scored, with a first test for the top one.
Get the Pivot Idea Finder →Frequently asked.
How do I test a business idea quickly?
Offer it to a handful of people, build a simple version for one person, pre-sell it, ask your audience or do it by hand first. Any of these can be done in about two weeks.
How many people do I need to test an idea?
Start with about 10 people you can reach directly. If three of them say yes or one of them pays, you have something worth building.
Should I build the product before I sell it?
Build the smallest version you can, or none at all. Offering it first tells you whether people want it before you spend weeks building.
What if nobody says yes?
Ask the people you talked to why. Their answers tell you whether to change the idea, change who you’re selling to or move on to your next idea.
Is it okay to sell something I haven’t built yet?
Yes, as long as you’re clear about when they’ll get it. Pre-selling to a small group and building it for them is a common way to start.
Dr. Destini Copp helps digital product creators build sustainable, systems-based businesses through the Creator Growth Flywheel framework. She’s the founder of Creator’s MBA and HobbyScool, and has been teaching online business strategy for over a decade. Learn more →
