How do you get initial idea feedback?
Do you all have a system for rapidly getting casual feedback on an initial idea?
Sometimes I will have 3+ ideas of various quality in a single day, I usually just write them down.
Doing hard validation (or making a post) every time you have a new idea feels like overkill but just writing them all down results in me never looking at them again.
I usually pitch them to a friend or my S/O but is there a community where you can just throw any old idea out and get some kind of feedback. I am picturing something less formal than a message board.
There are a few SubReddits through which you can receive feedback. You may check out this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/
I think you should read the book "The Mom Test".
I'm no expert in this field for sure, but I just want to make sure you aren't confusing asking friends opinion for any type of validation at all.
But as just that first gut check to potentially get you to take that second look at the idea to then validate. I don't think making a post about it is overkill. Seems like such a simple effort.
I tend not to include the people around me in my ideas. Unless they are in the same entrepreneurial boat as me. Which few are. Most people otherwise are either going to just tell you what you want to hear, or simply not understand why you would do anything other than get a job for a living.
Totally agree, seems to be a common thread amongst early-stage founders. It does require a lot of curiosity to go out there and learn about your users. Have you spotted any other common themes for founders from your experience when it comes to research and up-front validation?
Hey Eric, I'd even suggest create an initial pre-launch landing page. Great way of forcing yourself to think about the problem your solving, your value proposition, the benefits and fundamentally what the idea is. Then go out there and find your customers! If you need any more suggestions or advice, would love to chat more. We're building a AI-assistant that helps founders conduct user-research and validate their idea. simpliux.com
Probably post to places like IH, Reddit and join closed communities. I am running one at Micro SaaS HQ. But it's not just a community. It's more around trends, analysis around Micro SaaS ecosystem.