Guides: how we validate and grow ideas
How we do it, step by step: the whole way from 0 to 1, in the open. One guide for each step we take shows the method on a real check and ends with the tool that does the step for you for free.
How to Create a Business Model Canvas: Fill Order, Questions and an Example
How to create a business model canvas: the fill order, questions for each of the nine blocks, a worked example and a check for gaps.
ReadFind an idea
Where an idea comes from, and what to do in the first week before you spend a dollar.
Business ideas
01How to start a businessWhat to settle before you sign a lease, how to test the demand and where the first money comes from, step by step.
02AI for businessWhich parts of a founder's work AI agents already do on their own, and where the decision stays with you.
03Best franchises to ownHow to read the franchise rankings and the disclosure document, and check a unit's economics before you sign.
Check
The steps of the check, one guide each: what we look at and why a number without a source earns no score.
Run a free check
04How to do a market analysisSeven steps that show, before you spend anything, whether an idea has enough buyers and money behind it.
05How to validate a business ideaSeven steps from the riskiest assumption to a test with money, and when to go or stop.
06How to check demand before launchSeven ways to test demand, from search data to pre-orders, and the pass line that tells you a test worked.
07How to calculate market sizeOne formula, customers × purchases a year × price, with TAM, SAM and SOM worked through a real check.
08How to find your target audienceHow to describe the customer who will buy: who they are, where they search and what stops them.
09Competitor analysisWho your customers see instead of you, what those rivals charge and what their buyers complain about, then a position you can defend.
10How to find competitorsEight places to look for direct and indirect rivals, and how to sort the list you get.
11Ideal customer profileHow to narrow a broad audience down to the people who buy first and pay the most.- 12How to find customer pain pointsWhere to find complaints in reviews and forums, and how to write them down word for word.
- 13How to write a problem statementWho has the problem, what it costs them and the goal you can measure, with no solution in it: four examples.
14Jobs to be doneHow to see the job a customer hires a product for, and why it beats a list of features.
15Customer interview questionsWhat to ask future customers so you hear how they solve the problem today, without leading them.- 16The fake door testHow to measure demand with a page for a product that does not exist yet, and when to stop the test.
- 17How to build an MVPFind the riskiest assumption, pick the cheapest test and set pass/fail lines before you build anything.
18SWOT analysis of a business ideaHow to build a SWOT from facts about the market and the competitors, and what follows from it for your idea.- 19What our idea checks show: a data studyVerdicts, competition, unit economics and demand across the idea checks we published, with the data file to download.
Concept and plan
From a checked idea to a product you can sell: three variants, one choice, a plan with numbers.
Concept
20How to develop a business conceptHow to come up with three product variants, compare them on five criteria and choose one.
21Value proposition and positioningHow to say what you sell and why it is better for this customer in one sentence.
22How to write a business planTen sections and where the numbers for each come from, with the payback worked out month by month.with a calculator
23Unit economics explainedHow to pick your unit and work out contribution margin, LTV, CAC and payback for it.
24Startup financial modelHow to lay out the sheet: revenue and cost drivers, cash and runway, the three statements and scenarios.
25Business risks before launchThe types of risk, a likelihood × impact matrix to rank them and four ways to respond.
How to use this startup guide
This startup guide takes you through three stages in order: find an idea, check it against real demand and competitors, then turn it into a concept, a value proposition and a plan. Start with the group that matches where you are today, and use the tools to put numbers on each step before you spend money.
- 01Find an ideaStart here if you have no idea yet or have several and can't pick one. This group covers how to start a business and where AI helps a small one.
- 02Check it with market researchThis group is your market research toolkit. It covers customer pain points, your target audience, jobs to be done, the ideal customer profile, market analysis, customer interview questions, SWOT and competitor analysis. Work through it before you write a plan, so the plan rests on what customers said.
- 03Run an idea checkWhen you have a candidate, run it through the idea validator. It looks at demand, competitors, customer complaints, prices and unit economics on nine axes and returns a score out of 100, with a source for every figure.
- 04Write the concept and planThis group turns a checked idea into a business concept, a value proposition and positioning, and a business plan.
Questions
How do I fund a startup before it has revenue?
Common early sources are personal savings, friends and family, SBA-backed bank loans, angel investors and venture capital. Choose a loan if you expect steady cash flow soon; choose equity if you need years of growth before profit. Lenders and investors both ask for evidence of demand, so run an idea check and keep its sourced figures for your pitch.
Do I need a business plan to get a startup loan?
Banks and SBA lenders usually ask for a written plan with financial projections. Many angel investors start with a pitch deck and a short financial model instead. The Concept and plan group takes you from the business concept to the full plan.
How do I do market research on a small budget?
Start with search demand and competitor reviews, then interview people who have the problem you want to solve. The Check group has customer interview questions and a competitor analysis guide, and the market analysis guide shows how to put the pieces together. Use the market size calculator to estimate how many customers you can reach.
When should I build an MVP?
Build it after you have confirmed a painful problem and a group of people who have it. A fake door test, covered in the Check group, lets you measure sign-ups for a product that does not exist yet. If few people click, change the offer before you write code.
How can I tell if my startup idea will make money?
Compare what a customer pays with what it costs you to win and serve that customer. Enter your price, cost per sale and acquisition cost in the unit economics calculator. If the margin per customer is negative at a realistic price, rework the model before you raise money.
Where should I start if I have no idea yet?
Open the idea finder, which suggests ideas from live demand and complaint data. Then read the Find an idea group for ways to spot a real problem. Pick one candidate and run it through the idea check before you research further.
Next to the guides
The method at work, in a minute
Describe your idea: every step of the check runs on live data, with sources. Free, no sign-up.