I built a business idea validator. Now I'm scared mine is the bad idea.
Six days ago I flipped Franks to paid at €19. Zero paying users so far. Oh, the sweet irony.
Franks gives founders a brutally honest verdict on their idea: market size, competition, timing, monetization. It tells you what a blunt co-founder would say instead of what your friends will say. I have built it because there were so many times when I needed something like this. Something to tell me quick if I am being delusional or I have some realistic sense.
Before the paywall: 21 users, 7 countries, 184 events in two weeks. Built it in about a week with Figma for design, Netlify for the product, Claude API for the validation engine, and Claude helping me write the code.
Now I'm in the uncomfortable phase where I don't know if the silence means the product is wrong or the distribution is wrong. Reddit posting is blocked for another 5–7 days or even more. Don't know why. Running Quora answers in the meantime (today was the first day I did that).
If you've been here, zero conversions post-launch, declining traffic, I'd genuinely like to know what moved the needle for you.
And if you want to try it, here it is: https://imfranks.netlify.app/
Zero conversions right after adding a paywall usually says less about the idea and more about how much trust you’ve earned before asking for money. I’ve been in that exact spot where usage felt like validation until the first pricing step killed everything. In a team, you’d have PMM or sales to sanity check that gap, solo you just feel it as silence.
Your setup is fast and scrappy, but the “brutally honest verdict” angle is something people might hesitate to pay for. Did any of those 21 users come back or react strongly to the output, or was it more one-and-done curiosity?
Hi, wishing you the best, and I hope you get your traffic.
Here's a roast of your landing page. I hope it helps :)
https://www.roastbyai.com/share/2d56645964b9e63c4cc900a067a71dc6
You’re getting a lot of solid tactical advice here, but I think there’s a layer underneath all of it that’s being missed.
You built a tool to give founders clarity on their ideas, but right now you’re using that same system to judge your own situation, and it’s doing the opposite.
The moment there’s silence, the tool stops being a verdict engine and starts becoming something you have to interpret. And that’s where uncertainty creeps back in.
So now you’re not just asking “is this a good idea?”
You’re asking “what does no response actually mean?”
That’s a much harder problem.
Because silence can mean:
And all four feel identical from where you’re standing.
Most of the replies here are trying to solve one of those variables. But the real tension is that your system doesn’t separate them clearly, so every outcome reinforces doubt instead of reducing it.
You didn’t build something broken. You built something that still relies on interpretation at the exact moment people want certainty.
That includes you.
Until that gap is clear, you’ll keep oscillating between “this works” and “this is a bad idea” based on incomplete signals.
Silence isn’t a verdict.
It’s just a signal you haven’t fully defined yet.
I've felt this deeply, especially when you're not a marketer it's difficult to keep pushing when there are no results, especially after switching to paid. I had a project which I bought 2 years ago, it was going good, had a couple of people who subscribed but with AI growing more and more users stopped using it, subscriptions went to 0, traffic slowly dropped and nobody was using it. At the end I had to drop it and the project will stop working when the domain expires...
Ouch..that's a tough one to read. Watching something slowly go quiet is harder than a fast failure. The AI wave killing existing products is real and it's happening fast. Thank you for sharing it, it's a reminder that distribution can't stop, ever. Hope the next one treats you better. Also, I kept thinking ''what will I do if the AI will fall''? I know it's a little bit impossible in this exact present, but never say never. Good luck with everything, hope things will work out!
I can totally relate to your frustration because I've experienced that a lot.
I just have one question: "What would be the best alternative solution to Franks?"
For me, I solve AI sycophancy by prompting 'Strictly validate my idea by asking me tough questions based on stats.' to Claude. That simple prompt was all I needed for my quick business validation. The rest should be done by field research and interviews.
As someone who is more of a 'creator' than a 'researcher', I am learning that being creative can lead to being delusional without deep research.
If you can relate to this, I hope you research more about how others are solving the problems you are solving. That might help you find where the real pain point exists.
I’ve been in this exact spiral while building my own project. The more I learned, the more flaws I started seeing, to the point where I almost scrapped the whole thing.
What helped me was shipping a smaller version and just watching how people actually used it, not how I expected them to. That changed my perspective a lot.
Curious, have you had a chance to put this in front of users directly or talk to any of the 21 who tried it?
I think the bigger issue is not the price, it's that the landing page still asks people to trust the mechanism before they've seen the verdict.
A few concrete fixes I'd try:
If you want, I can do a very blunt $1 teardown of the page and checkout path here: https://roastmysite.io/go.php?src=external_ih_franks_apr28_usd_presell_hv
These are concrete fixes I can make this week. Thank you so much, really appreciate it. Skipping the teardown for now, but you did really helped me, thanks again, good luck!
glad it landed. cleaner signal was the whole point - it's harder to iterate when you're testing price and demand at the same time
been in the same exact phase 6 months back — built ghost workforce (dubai re intel from 533K dld transactions), paywall went up at $497, silence. it wasn't the product. it was that paid users come from problem-aware buyers, not visitors who liked the demo.
three things that moved the needle for me:
cold outreach to people who literally complained about the problem on x/reddit/linkedin. not "hey check out my product" — "saw your post about X, here's what your data looks like in my tool, free." 7/10 reply, 1/10 buy.
distribution before product polish. you're already doing the right thing with quora. running 5 answers/day on dubai property questions, 280-380 words each, government data only — compounds for months because the answers index in google long-tail forever.
the validator angle is interesting because the buyer is a founder who already knows they're guessing. that buyer is on twitter/reddit/IH right now actively asking "is this a good idea?" — the inventory is RIGHT here. cold-DM the last 50 IH posts asking validation questions with a free 1-page report tailored to their idea. conversion will jump because you're showing the product on their problem, not yours.
reddit posting block is normal new-account friction — won't fix in 5 days, more like 2-3 weeks of comments first to build karma. parallel quora is the right play. don't wait on it.
silence at 6 days isn't signal yet — 21 users in 2 weeks is real top-of-funnel. you don't have a product problem, you have a positioning + outbound problem. that's fixable in a week.
The cold-DM angle on the last 50 IH posts asking validation questions is something that will for sure be doing this week. The "problem-aware buyers vs visitors who liked the demo" distinction also reframed how I'm thinking about targeting. And noted on Reddit, 2-3 weeks, not 5 days (it seems like an eternity, haha). Thank you for this, genuinely really helpful, I appreciate it a lot! Good luck with everything, you amazin'!
The 184 events from 21 users before the paywall is the signal that matters most here. People used it multiple times -- that is not a product problem.
The cold-conversion problem at 19 euros is about trust, not product quality. People need to see someone else take the risk first. What usually unlocks this: one genuine case study where the tool either confirmed a good idea or saved someone from a bad one. Even a short thread from a user saying Franks told me X and it turned out right carries more than any landing page copy.
I am building WhatCarCanIAfford.com, a finance calculator for car buyers, and had the same dead zone after launch. What finally helped was targeting communities where the problem is actively discussed rather than promoting the tool directly. For you that might be founder communities mid-pivot where people are genuinely wrestling with idea validation. Being useful there without pitching has done more than any channel push.
The Quora play is smart because those answers compound. Unlike Reddit, Quora posts from years ago still rank. Keep going on that.
The case study idea is something I hadn't thought about until now. One real story carries more than anything on the landing page for sure. I need to find that story among the 21... Targeting communities mid-pivot rather than promoting directly is also the right framing. Thank you for this, genuinely useful, I appreciate it a lot!
Six days is nothing but the silence feeling like verdict is very real and very hard to sit with. Worth separating two questions that feel like one right now: does nobody want this, or does nobody know it exists yet? 184 events pre-paywall means people were willing to engage when they found it. The conversion gap at €19 is a different problem than a demand problem. The Quora play is smart given the Reddit block those answers stick around forever and keep pulling traffic long after the thread goes quiet. What’s your read on the 21 free users were they founders validating real ideas or curious people kicking the tires?
"Does nobody want this, or does nobody know it exists yet?" I do really need to separate this two. I've been treating them as one and they're not. On the 21 users — honestly I don't know. Some completed the full flow which suggests real intent, but I can't rule out curiosity. That's what I need to find out next..don't know how to, yet..
Thank you for your time, really appreciate it!
The users who completed the full flow are your signal curiosity drops off before the end. Someone who went all the way through had a real question they wanted answered. The challenge now is getting back in front of them personally. Even a one line email saying 'hey you tried Franks last week did the verdict match your gut feeling about your idea?' would tell you more in 48 hours than another week of watching traffic numbers. The people who already used it are the fastest path to understanding whether the product is working not the people who haven't found it yet. You have 21 of them. That's actually enough to start a real conversation. Hope this helps!
Going through the exact same "product or distribution?" phase right now with my Chrome extension. Shipped it, it works, but the silence after launch is deafening.
What I'm learning: the answer is almost always distribution first. Your 184 events from 21 users proves people engage with it. The paywall just needs more traffic behind it to convert - €19 from cold visitors with no social proof is a hard ask.
One thing that's slowly working for me: showing up in communities where my users already hang out and being useful without pitching. It's painfully slow but the profile clicks are real. Reddit being blocked is rough though - that's where most of the raw "I need this" energy lives.
"Showing up in communities and being useful without pitching" is exactly what I'm trying to do right now. Painfully slow is the right description, yess... Reddit being blocked is the most frustrating constraint at the moment but hope it unlocks soon. Good luck with the extension, the silence phase is temporary if you keep showing up. That's what I m telling myself. Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback, appreciate it!
I feel this title deeply. I have two live products — Triply (AI travel planning) and someonetolisten ( Laura) , which I built for people who just need someone to listen — and the scariest part isn't whether they work. They do. The scary part is the silence. No users for Laura , no feedback, no way to know if it's the idea or the distribution. Your 21 users across 7 countries before the paywall gives me hope — that means people found it somehow. What channels brought those 21? That's the thing I can't crack right now.
The silence is the hardest part, yes, you described it perfectly. The 21 came mostly from Reddit comments, dropping the link in relevant threads. No SEO, no paid, no Product Hunt. Just showing up where the conversation was already happening. It's slow but I think it's pretty real. Good luck with Laura, the fact that you built something that genuinely listens says something about why you're building at all. Actually, good luck with both!
I can't thank you enough for this comment. It’s so reassuring to hear that someone else understands that 'silence' — and that there is a way through it without the big launches.
Your strategy of just 'showing up' where conversations are already happening on Reddit feels much more manageable for my current energy levels. It’s slow, but like you said, it’s real.
Also, thank you for the kind words about Laura. I built her because I realized how much we all just need to feel heard. It means a lot that you noticed that.
Good luck with your growth too—I'll be taking your advice and looking for those organic conversations. Thank you for the light at the end of the tunnel!
Hitting that zero-conversion wall after flipping the paid switch is a brutal rite of passage for every builder! Asking for €19 upfront is tough friction, which is why proving tangible ROI similar to how Bunzee handles deep competitor mapping rather than just simple advice is so critical to crossing that gap. Leaning into that "ugly but useful" mindset, maybe giving away a tiny, free teaser roast could perfectly hook them before the paywall hits. Since Reddit is locked down, have you considered roasting public Indie Hacker ideas on Twitter to organically show off exactly what Franks can do?
The free teaser idea keeps coming up and it's clearly the next move. On roasting public IH ideas on Twitter..just wow, haven't thought about this at all. Adding it to the plan, but I am worried I might upset people. I don't want to disappoint anyone, I want them to try Franks because they genuinely want to.
Thank you for your time and feedback, i ll really think about the Twitter idea, really appreciate it!
Thank you for your reply. Our team is facing the same concerns as you, Sabb. We even launched Product Hunt, but the results were disastrous. That is why I am more interested in your post, as you share similar concerns. Could you please share how you are overcoming the situation where the conversion rate is 0% after converting to paid accounts?
I think this is actually a good sign.
If your own tool makes you question your idea, it probably means you're being honest about what you're seeing, instead of forcing a positive signal.
One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of ideas don’t really get validated on paper. They get validated through people actually using them.
The gap between “this seems like a weak idea” and “people are actually using this” can be surprisingly large.
Curious if you’ve had any real users try it yet, or if most of the validation has been analytical so far.
Real users tried it before the paywall: 21 of them across 7 countries. But whether they got genuine value or were just curious is something I can't say for certain yet. That's the next thing I need to find out. You're right that paper validation and real usage are very different things. Thank you for your time, really appreciate it!
I think it’s often more about distribution than the idea itself. Many good ideas fail simply because the right audience isn’t reached at the right time.
I’ve been working on a local beauty service website and noticed that focusing on specific services (like makeup, nails, etc.) helped bring more targeted users and slightly better conversions.
👉 https://msbeautysalon.co.uk/best-salon-for-makeup-in-luton/
Still experimenting with what actually moves the needle.
Good luck!
This hits home. Building JewelViz -
AI jewelry photography for Indian
jewellers. Same phase right now.
Your 184 events from 21 users proves
the problem is real. Distribution
is the next battle, not the product.
Still here, still building.
Yesss, still here, still building. Good luck!
The fear is the data. You built a validator and you're using it on yourself - that's honest. Most founders avoid that step. What matters now: is anyone else using the validator? If they're getting signal from it, you've solved a real problem. If not, then your business idea validator idea isn't working yet, which just means you learned something in 2 weeks instead of 2 months.
Yes, people used it before the paywall, whether they got real signal from it is what I still need to find out. And yes, learnt some things in the meantime. Thanks for your time and feedback, really appreciate it!
zero paying users after a paywall flip is normal. the signal's whether free users got value - 184 events from 21 people in 7 countries says yes. the pricing experiment is separate from the market test.
"Separating the pricing experiment from the market test" sounds really interesting. Thank you, appreciate it!
That “0 paid after flipping” phase is brutal — but it’s also very diagnostic 👍
Right now, don’t assume product is wrong yet. More likely:
→ you introduced risk too early
Your product is basically saying:
“Pay €19 and I’ll tell you if your idea is bad.”
That’s a tough sell without trust.
What’s probably happening:
→ before paywall = curiosity clicks
→ after paywall = “why should I trust this?”
No proof → no conversion.
What I’d test quickly:
Not full output, but:
→ 2–3 insights visible
→ rest locked
So users feel the value before paying.
Before/after or sample verdicts:
→ “Idea X → here’s what Franks said”
Right now it’s abstract.
“Brutally honest” is interesting
but also risky (people avoid discomfort)
Try:
→ “Validate your idea in 60 seconds”
→ keep honesty inside, not as the hook
Even:
→ “21 founders tested this”
→ “used across 7 countries”
matters at this stage.
Your core idea is actually strong:
→ founders do want reality checks
→ but they need confidence before paying for criticism
Curious:
→ did anyone ask for refunds / feedback after trying it?
That signal matters more than traffic right now.
Also, I’m running a small project (Tokyo Lore) where we test ideas like this with real builders and see what actually converts vs just gets curiosity.
Since this is a very clear “validation product,” it could be interesting to test there.
Happy to share more if you’re open 👍
It seems that the partial free result idea will solve the blind trust problem better than anything else. The social proof is already on the landing page ("22 founders across 7 countries") but i think it's not too visible. Also i'll think about how to add more actual sample verdicts. No refunds, no paying users. On Tokyo Lore, I'd be open to hearing more. Thank you for your feedback and your time, really appreciate it!
That makes sense — partial free result should help a lot 👍
Even a small preview builds trust quickly.
On social proof, yeah — visibility matters more than having it.
And sample verdicts will probably do more heavy lifting than anything else.
On Tokyo Lore — it’s basically a small, focused round where we put products like yours in front of real builders and observe what actually happens:
→ what people try
→ what they trust
→ what converts vs drops off
Since your product is very much about “validation,” it fits really well.
It’s a $19 entry, includes a structured analysis + placement in a live round (winner gets a Tokyo trip — flights + hotel).
Here’s the link: tokyolore.com
Happy to answer anything if you’re considering it 👍
It’s completely normal to doubt your own idea after building it. In fact, that’s a good sign—you’re thinking critically.
Instead of assuming it’s a bad idea, test it with real users and get feedback. If people find value in it, you’re on the right track.
Also, you can promote your idea through guest posting to reach more users and build authority. This list might help:
Thank you, testing with real users is on the list with what's next. Appreciate the encouragement and your time!
I’ve been in this exact spot—most times it wasn’t the idea, just that the right people hadn’t seen it yet. Try talking directly to your early users, their feedback usually shows what to fix or who to target.
It's next on the list. Thank you, really appreciate it!
At early stage tracking against the conversion is not the right way, as even big companies with huge marketing budgets have 10% conversion after Millions of user base. Focus on userbase and once it reached the right level then look at diverting your focus on conversation don't stop mentoring just be ready
Building the user base first before obsessing over conversion rate really makes sense at this stage...Thank you, appreciate it!
Six days at €19 with zero conversions doesn't tell you whether the product is wrong or the distribution is wrong — and conflating those kills indie launches before they get a second chance. I'm shipping a Captio-style memo app for iOS in a couple of weeks (one-tap-to-email, no menus), and on an early landing test, the same copy pulled 11% CTR in a niche subreddit and 0.3% on X. Same product, same offer. The "is it wrong?" answer was clearly channel, not idea. Before trusting the silence, push the tool in front of ~200 cold visitors who match your "blunt cofounder" persona — if those don't bite, it's the offer, not the channel. I'd love to swap notes with anyone running validation tools for solo founders. Curious: what's the persona of your 21 free users vs the one you're targeting at €19?
It seems that the channel vs idea distinction is something that I needed to think about more. On the persona question: honestly I don't know exactly who the 21 were, which i know it's a problem. Who I'm targeting is someone mid-decision on a business idea/or some kind of a side-hustle, with a day job, limited time, zero budget for consultants, someone who needs a verdict not a brainstorm. Whether that matches who actually showed up, I can't say for certain yet...
Thank your for your comment, really appreciate it!
The irony of an idea validator needing its own market validation is peak Indie Hackers. With 184 events pre-paywall, the appetite is clearly there—the €19 jump might just be too steep for a first 'blind' verdict. Maybe try a 'lite' free report to hook them first?
Hmmm...showing a taste of the verdict before the paywall removes the blind trust problem. It's on the roadmap now. Thank you so much. Sometimes you miss the most logical or ''in your front'' answers...really appreciate it!
Posts like this are why IH is the right community for indie builders — the honest retrospectives are so much more useful than the highlight reel you see elsewhere. One question: looking back, is there anything you would have validated differently before building? The pre-build validation question is one I keep wrestling with.
Honestly, I would do it the same. I built it because I personally needed it, and I'm still curious to find out if that's just a me problem or something others feel too. That's actually a question I've been wanting to post about: did you build it because you needed it yourself, or because you identified a market pain point first?
Hey Sabb, the irony of using your idea validator to validate your idea validator is definitely not lost on anyone here! 😂
Honestly, the biggest hurdle you're facing right now is the 'ChatGPT Wrapper' objection. €19 is a steep ask for what most founders know they can get for free by pasting their idea into Claude and typing 'brutally roast my startup.'
To get people to pay for this, you have to sell authority, not just text generation. A random .netlify.app subdomain doesn't carry the authority needed to charge €19 for advice. But if you bought a $10 custom domain and positioned it as 'Trained on 10,000 Y-Combinator rejection emails' or 'The Paul Graham Simulator', the perceived value skyrockets. Don't drop the price, fix the positioning. Tell them why this is better than free ChatGPT.
Oh my..."don't drop the price, fix the positioning" is one of the most useful thing I've read today. I need to be more clear on why this is better than a free prompt, not just assume people will see it. And I will totally not forget that the ChatGPT wrapper objection is real. Also, the custom domain will be happening this week. Thank you so much for your feedback, really appreciate it!
No problem!
You probably don’t have a product problem yet.
You have a trust problem.
People will try blunt feedback on their idea.
They hesitate to pay for it from a Netlify subdomain called “Franks.”
The promise is strong.
The packaging makes it feel disposable.
Right now users are not deciding if the verdict is useful.
They’re deciding if the product is credible enough to trust with the truth.
The "credible enough to trust with the truth" line...ouf. I think you're right, I've been thinking about this and if the Netlify subdomain can do damage and a custom domain will be happening this week (hope so).. Thank you for your feedback and for your time, really appreciate it!
That custom domain will help more than most product tweaks right now.
Same reason:
people are not judging the output first.
They’re judging whether the product feels credible enough to believe.
Once the domain is fixed, the next trust leak is usually the name.
That’s the layer I’d pressure-test right after the subdomain is gone.
The uncomfortable truth is that €19 with zero marketing is a conversion issue, not a product one. You don't have enough data yet to know which one its is. 21 users pre-paywall with 184 events in two weeks tells you people do found value. The silence post-paywall usually means the traffic dried uo, not that people tried it and said no...
That distinction between ''traffic dried up vs people tried it and said no'' is actually what I needed to hear. I think I've been mixing them and they're completely different problems with different solutions. Thank you so much for your feedback and time, really appreciate it!
Good luck. Hope the traffic comes back. Would be curious to hear how it develops.
Sabb, I feel this in my soul. I was in the same spot some days ago — zero sales and people told me my tool was 'too aggressive.'
I pivoted from 'Brutal Roasts' to finding 'Trust Leaks' (specific conversion gaps), and the vibe changed instantly. I ran your site through my tool to see what's blocking your first sale.
Your Audit Report: 🔗 https://roastmylanding.vercel.app/roast/YCYImXlk
Quick take: Since you're validating business ideas, you're asking for people's 'babies.' If your landing page has even one 'Trust Leak' (like a lack of social proof or a vague outcome), they won't pay €19.
Check out the 10-point roadmap in the link—it might help you bridge that 'Confidence Gap' you're feeling right now! 🚀
Thank you for actually running it through and for your time, I appreciate the gesture. The Trust Leaks framing makes sense for a product like this. Good luck with everything!
Glad it resonated! The 'Confidence Gap' is the hardest thing to bridge when you're charging for advice.
I've actually just manually unlocked your full 10-point roadmap in that same link.
https://roastmylanding.vercel.app/roast/YCYImXlk
Check out the sections on 'Social Proof Density' and 'Risk Reversal'—those are usually the two things that turn €0 into your first €19.
Rooting for you to get that first sale today! 🚀
That "product or distribution" phase is really uncomfortable. I think most builders run into this at some point.
What stood out to me is the type of problem you are solving. Idea validation is something people want, but it is also something they tend to question, especially if it is automated.
I am building in a different space, but I have noticed a similar pattern. If the result challenges what someone already believes, the trust requirement becomes much higher.
So even if the product works, the bigger question becomes whether users trust it enough to pay for it.
Curious, from the users before the paywall, did they seem like people seriously trying to make decisions, or more like exploring out of curiosity?
Honestly, I really can't tell for certain.. Some completed the full flow which suggests real intent. Your point on trust for automated validation is really good... If the verdict challenges what someone already believes, they'll question the tool before they question themselves. That's another problem than I initially thought. Thank you for your time and feedback, really appreciate it!
What would Franks tell you about the idea of Franks itself?
My opinion is that it's just a Claude prompt with a nice GUI, not enough added value to pay €19 when ChatGPT is free and many websites list collections of reusable prompts
Personally I'm in the stage of landing page launched but 0 visits, can't post on Reddit too because I have a recent account, so I can relate a bit how you feel
Franks tells me it's a good idea so I'm going with that. On the ChatGPT point: the difference is that with ChatGPT you have to know what to ask. Franks is the one asking, it's short, structured, and gives you a concluded verdict without you having to engineer a prompt. But I hear the perception gap and it's something I need to fix. Good luck with the Reddit grind, it'll come. And thank you so much for your feedback, really appreciate it!
A low-risk way to separate “product is wrong” from “distribution is wrong”: run one tiny test per audience, not one big launch. Pick a narrow founder segment, give them one promised outcome, and ask for one specific next action.
For Franks, I’d test copy around “what should I do next this week?” more than “is my idea good?” A verdict is interesting, but founders with zero traction may pay faster for 3 distribution angles plus the first post/email to try. That turns the roast into momentum instead of just a score.
You haven't even purchased a domain name for your product? I've seen too many products that evaluate whether someone else's idea is a good business; they're all essentially the same and highly homogenized. All I need to do is open chatgpt Gemini and let them use the search and in-depth research tools to get a high-quality report. No one is going to pay for a product like that.
Interesting, but... what does Frank offer that's so different from other AIs that are free and also brutally honest? Is Frank simply a structured response, or what sets him apart from other AIs currently available?
this is a tough spot but pretty common
from what you shared it doesn’t look like a product problem yet
21 users across 7 countries usually means interest is there
but the bigger question is
where those users came from
because most channels (like reddit/quora) bring curious builders
not people actively looking to validate an idea
so you end up with usage
but no one willing to pay
have you noticed what kind of users those 21 actually were
Validating GreenMate: An AI-powered companion for plant lovers worldwide. Would you use this?
Hi Indie Hackers,
I’m currently working on a concept called GreenMate, a mobile application designed to solve the most common challenges for urban gardeners and plant lovers globally.
The Vision:
Many people want to start gardening but feel overwhelmed by not knowing which plants suit their environment or how to treat a sick plant. GreenMate aims to be a one-stop solution.
Key Features:
AI Diagnosis: Instant health checks and care guides for your plants using AI.
Global Nursery Finder: An interactive map to find local nurseries and gardening supplies anywhere in the world.
Community Hub: A place to connect with fellow gardeners and share knowledge.
Why I'm here:
I want to build something that people actually need. Before I go full-scale with development, I want to hear from this community.
Does this problem resonate with you or someone you know?
What feature would make an app like this a "must-have" for you?
If you are a plant lover, what is your biggest pain point right now?
I’m really looking forward to your honest feedback and suggestions!
Very relatable. I think a lot of founders confuse “my idea might be bad” with “I haven’t exposed it to enough real users yet.”
Validation tools can help, but eventually reality has to vote.
The harder part is often shipping something imperfect enough for people to react to honestly.
This is a great question and conversation for people to better understand what might be happening with their own launch. I’ve seen many launches from the perspective of large companies with plenty of BD and marketing power. Post launch silence is not great but that doesn’t mean the product is dead / wrong. Small businesses don’t usually have those resources so a slower launch can be expected.
If you had users there is a conversation that can be started again. It may require those users be granted special access or discounts for feedback. Not suggesting this is the savior of a bad product, but sometimes it takes more time than we want to get paying customers.
I wish everyone luck on their project.
The silence after a paywall flip feels personal, but it's usually structural. You're asking people to pay €19 for criticism of their idea — that's a hard sell emotionally before they've seen proof that the criticism is useful.
184 events from 21 users in 7 countries before the paywall tells you something important: the product itself works. People found it, used it repeatedly, and completed the validation flow. That's engagement, not just curiosity clicks.
The gap now is trust + value demonstration, not product quality.
A few things that might help:
Show a real verdict example above the fold, not just descriptions. One brutal honest output that people can read before they pay. The value needs to be visible before the risk.
Consider a partial free output. Give them 2-3 real insights, lock the rest. Let people feel the product's judgment before asking them to pay for more.
The €19 paywall introduced friction at exactly the point where trust is weakest. If you had even 1-2 paying users before the switch, that would change the positioning completely. But without that, cold visitors are taking a blind bet.
On distribution: Quora is smart for long-tail SEO. Indie Hackers posts like this one are actually the right channel — founders here are actively wrestling with validation questions. You're already in the right room.
Six days isn't enough to call the verdict. The product isn't the bad idea. The pricing + trust layer is just still being tested. Keep going.
"I don't know if the silence means the product is wrong or the distribution is wrong." I've been sitting with that exact question for months. 95K lines of code, live product, zero paying customers. At some point you have to decide which one to bet on and stop second guessing.
Here's what I've learned: if people used it before the paywall (21 users, 7 countries, 184 events), the product isn't the problem. They engaged with it. The silence after adding pricing is a distribution and positioning problem, not a product problem. That's actually good news because distribution is fixable. A bad product isn't.
The overthinking and second guessing is the real killer. I spent weeks questioning whether TxDesk was the wrong product when the actual issue was that I was doing cold outreach to people who had no reason to trust me. The moment I stopped doubting the product and started fixing the distribution, the conversations got better.
Quora is fine but slow. What's worked for me: being active across Indie Hackers, Dev.to, Twitter, and niche communities. Not pitching, just being useful and letting people find the product through my profile. One genuine reply in the right thread does more than 10 Quora answers nobody reads.
21 users in two weeks with no audience is a signal. Don't let the silence after a pricing change convince you the whole thing is wrong. The product worked. Now you just need to find the people willing to pay for it. That's a different problem with different solutions. Keep going.
that post-launch silence is brutal, we've all been there. Usually, it's a positioning issue. I recently launched Phoebe (an iOS app that predicts migraines using Apple Watch data). We hit 30 paying users in week 1 with $0 marketing, but only because we tapped into a literal "bleeding neck" problem where users are in physical pain and desperate for a solution right now. Franks is an awesome tool, but "validating an idea" is a vitamin, not a painkiller. People don't like paying to be told their baby is ugly. You might need to pivot the copy to target people actively losing money on bad ideas. Happy to bounce some distribution angles around in DMs if you want, keep pushing!
The "product or distribution?" question is actually answerable from data you already have.
Look at your Claude API call pattern: what fraction of visitors who trigger the first API call (start a validation) complete it and get a full Franks verdict? If that number is under 40%, there's friction in the product experience before the paywall is even relevant. If it's above 70%, the product is working and the €19 paywall is the variable to fix.
That distinction changes everything about what you do next. Running more Quora answers when the drop is pre-paywall is just running faster into a wall.
184 events across 21 users in 7 countries in two weeks is actually a decent early signal. That's not silence, that's a product that travels. The question is whether those 184 events are "started validation, got verdict" or "opened page, bounced." Your Netlify logs and Claude API call logs can tell you which.
One more thing specific to AI validators: if the Franks verdict comes back in under 2 seconds, users often don't trust it. The "blunt co-founder" framing needs to feel like it took deliberation. A visible thinking step of 3-5 seconds with some intermediate output ("analyzing market size...") typically increases perceived value without changing the underlying quality. It's a trust surface problem, not a speed problem.
You don't have a silence problem. You have a funnel visibility problem.
21 users is too little to judge product, but enough to judge who showed up. I’d interview the 3 heaviest users before touching price. If they came for reassurance and your tool gives hard truth, that’s a positioning mismatch, not a product failure.
The best validation isn't a tool — it's finding people already describing the problem your product solves.
Before building my current product I scanned Reddit for pain-point phrases ("I wish there was," "alternative to," "looking for a tool") in my target niche. 437 matching posts in 2 weeks. That told me demand exists before I wrote a single line of code.
If you can't find at least 50 people online actively complaining about the problem your idea solves, the idea might not have enough pull. The validator should validate demand, not just "is this a good idea in theory."
The song on the homepage is doing more work than you think - it's the one thing that makes Franks feel like a character rather than just another AI tool. Don't lose that as you iterate.
On the zero conversions thing - I'd genuinely question the €19 price before questioning the product. Not because it's too high, but because there's a weird dead zone between "free" and "obviously worth it" where €19 sits for a tool you use once or twice. People will pay €49 for a one-time honest verdict more easily than €19, weirdly, because it signals the feedback has weight. Free feels like a toy. €19 feels like a gamble. €49 feels like a decision.
Also - 21 users, 7 countries, 184 events before a paywall is not nothing. That's real curiosity from real humans. The question I'd be asking is what happened at the moment those 21 users finished their session. Did they leave satisfied or did they leave wanting more? Satisfied means they got the value and bounced. Wanting more is where conversion lives.
What does the drop-off look like right before the paywall hits?
I relate to this. I’m also in validation mode right now for Tradi, researching how early-stage founders choose software/tools before they buy.
Quick question: when you’re deciding what tools to use for your business, what do you trust most: Google, Reddit, friends, AI, YouTube, or review sites?
Certainly a recommendation from a friend or someone you trust is a strong vote of confidence.
Six days at €19 with a brand-new audience is not enough signal yet. Don't kill it on day 6.
I just paywalled my app this week ($3.99/mo Pro tier). What's slowed me down is realizing the post-launch silence has at least three different shapes and they look identical from the outside:
You won't know which one you're in for at least 3-4 weeks of consistent distribution. €19 is the right price for what you're describing, by the way; cheaper makes it feel like a toy and more makes it look like a SaaS.
One concrete thing that helped me: instead of waiting for paying users, I asked 5 free users to literally narrate their first session out loud over Loom. The verbal "huh?" timestamps tell you in 3 minutes what 30 days of analytics won't.
I feel your pain, 6 app ecosystem ready & live but still need time for seo to start sending traffic! Its alot of stress on bootstrap build budget!
I created something similar at ctrlmode (dot) app. I would advise not to try it out right now but feel free to check it out if you want. It gave me crap many times over about my ideas...but that is kinda the point, to see the blind spots that I didnt see otherwise
This feels very real. Sometimes the idea isn’t bad — the first audience, positioning, or use case just isn’t clear enough yet.
I’m learning that early feedback is less about proving the idea is perfect and more about finding the clearest version of the problem you’re solving.
I think this fear is so real when you’re building something new. But sometimes the idea isn’t “bad” — the positioning, audience, or first use case just isn’t clear enough yet.
I’m learning that early feedback is less about validation and more about finding the clearest version of the problem you’re solving.
I think this fear is so real when you’re building something new. But sometimes the idea isn’t “bad” — the positioning, audience, or first use case just isn’t clear enough yet.
I’m learning that early feedback is less about validation and more about finding the clearest version of the problem you’re solving.
很有启发的分享！我目前也正在做一个类似的数据密集型项目（足球预测引擎）。冷启动阶段总是最艰难的。感谢分享！