Using my own framework to validate my next product. It's harder than I thought.
I'm validating a new product (multi-domain email tool) and using my own distribution framework to do it. I built it from lessons after launching multiple products without validating first and then decided to turn it into a paying product. But if it doesn't work on me, what am I even selling?
What the framework told me to do:
Score the ICP before writing any code. I scored 6 segments. Agency owners came out top at 85/120, small business founders at 79/120.
Validate across multiple channels with the same problem statement. Posted on X, LinkedIn, Discord, and a few subreddits over a week.
DM the people who described real pain in the comments. Didn't pitch, just asked about their setup.
Track signals against pre-written kill criteria. Mine were: 5+ pain signals, 1+ price quote, no platform competitor shipping the same thing.
Current state: 4 pain signals (need 5), 1 price quote ($10-30/mo), and a competitor in another thread just shipped a similar version of my idea. Not sure if to build it or not right now, still early.
The uncomfortable part: validation is exhausting. I thought I would get replies like "yes I need this."
But most replies were suggesting solutions instead. You have to keep your kill criteria written down so you don't talk yourself into building something that's already been killed.
The other uncomfortable part: my framework might tell me to kill this. And then I have to actually do it instead of building anyway.
Anyone else done structured validation before building? What kept you honest when the data said stop?
