How to Validate Your SaaS Idea: A Guide to What Works

Let me tell you about two founders, Marcus and Sarah.

Marcus spent a lot of money and over a year building a "revolutionary" project management tool with a beautiful UI and cutting-edge tech. He launched to zero customers.

Know why? He never validated his idea.

Meanwhile, Sarah pre-sold thousands of dollars worth of her half-baked data pipeline tool before writing a single line of code. It was built with no-code tools and duct tape, but it solved a real problem. She was quickly profitable.

The difference? Sarah knew how to validate. Marcus knew how to assume.

I've seen many SaaS founders go through this process. Some make it, many don't. The ones who fail are often more talented developers or designers. They fail at the one thing that matters most: validation.

This guide isn't another lean startup circlejerk. This is about what happens when real founders try to validate real ideas with real money on the line.

Buckle up. This is gonna hurt.

The Validation Graveyard: Where Good Ideas Go to Die

Before I show you what works, let me show you what definitely doesn't. These are common validation approaches that often lead to failure:

The "Steve Jobs Didn't Validate" Delusion

Every few months, some founder will say: "Did Steve Jobs validate the iPhone? Did Elon validate Tesla? Real visionaries don't validate!"

Cool story. You're not Steve Jobs. Believing your own hype without checking it against reality is a fast track to failure.

The Survey Monkey Disaster

"I'll just send out a survey!"

No. Surveys are where validation goes to die. Here's why: What people say in surveys and what they do when asked to pay are two very different things. It's common to see high percentages of people in surveys say they would pay for a product, only to have very few of them actually convert to paying customers.

Surveys measure politeness, not demand.

The Friends and Family Trap

Your mom thinks your idea is great. Your best friend would "totally use it." Your former colleague says it's "interesting."

They're all lying to you. Not maliciously—they just don't want to hurt your feelings. Relying on feedback from friends and family is not true validation.

A Customer Conversation Method That Actually Works

Alright, enough about what doesn't work. Let's talk about what successful founders actually do.

They talked to strangers. A lot of strangers. With brutal, uncomfortable questions.

A Customer Interview Framework for Pre-Sales

A successful founder, Sarah, used this exact framework. She went from idea to thousands in pre-sales in just a few weeks.

Finding the Right People to Interview

First, she defined her Initial Victim Profile (IVP). Not ICP—that comes later. IVP is who's suffering the MOST from this problem.

Sarah's IVP:

• Data engineers at Series B-D startups
• Managing 10+ data sources
• Using Fivetran or Stitch
• Spending >$3,000/month
• Complaining about it on Reddit/Twitter

How she found them:

1. Reddit: r/dataengineering (searched "Fivetran" + "expensive" or "sucks")
2. Twitter: Advanced search for "Fivetran alternative"
3. LinkedIn: Job posts mentioning data pipeline tools
4. Slack communities: 4 data engineering groups
5. GitHub: Issues/discussions on Fivetran repos

An Outreach Message That Gets a High Response Rate

Subject: Quick question about your Fivetran setup at [Company]

Hey [Name],

Saw your comment about Fivetran's pricing in r/dataengineering. That $5k/month for 15 connectors is brutal.

I'm researching how data teams handle the build vs. buy decision for pipelines. Not selling anything—still in research mode.

Would you have 20 minutes this week for a quick call? Happy to share what I learn from other teams dealing with this.

Either way, here's a cost calculator I built that might help: [link]

Sarah

Why this worked:

• Specific reference (shows you did homework)
• Acknowledges their pain
• "Not selling anything" (crucial for honesty)
• Value upfront (calculator)
• Short and human

The Interview Script That Revealed Everything

Sarah didn't ask "would you use a Fivetran alternative?"

Here's what she actually asked:

Opening (2 minutes): "Before we start—I'm exploring building something in this space, but I'm genuinely not selling anything today. I just want to understand your world. Cool?"

Current State Discovery (10 minutes):

1. "Walk me through what happened yesterday with your data pipelines. Start from when you got to work."

   • Listen for: Specific tools, friction points, time wasters

2. "What's the most annoying thing about your current setup?"

   • Listen for: Emotional response (anger = good)

3. "Show me your Fivetran dashboard. What pisses you off here?"

   • Listen for: Feature gaps, pricing pain, reliability issues

4. "How much are you actually paying monthly? Can I see the invoice?"

   • Listen for: Real budget (not theoretical)

Problem Severity (5 minutes):

5. "On a scale of 1-10, how painful is this problem?"

   • Follow up: "Why not a 10?" (reveals what would make it worse)
   • Follow up: "Why not a 1?" (reveals why it matters)

6. "What happens if you don't solve this in the next 6 months?"

   • Listen for: Real consequences

7. "What have you already tried? Why didn't it work?"

   • Listen for: Failed solutions, buying triggers

Solution Discovery (5 minutes):

8. "If you had a magic wand, what would the perfect solution look like?"

   • Listen for: Must-haves vs nice-to-haves

9. "What would need to be true for you to switch from Fivetran?"

   • Listen for: Switching costs, decision criteria

10. "Who else would need to approve this purchase?"

    • Listen for: Buying process, stakeholders

The Money Question (3 minutes):

11. "If I could solve [specific problem they mentioned] and save you [specific amount they mentioned], what would that be worth to you monthly?"

    • Listen for: Actual budget

12. "Would you pre-pay for 3 months at a 30% discount to help me fund building this?"

    • Listen for: REAL validation

The Close (2 minutes):

"Based on what you've told me, I'm thinking of building [specific solution]. Would you be one of my first 10 customers at $[price]/month?"

If yes: "Great! Can I get your credit card now for the first month? I won't charge it until we go live."

If no: "What would need to change for this to be a yes?"

The Validation Metrics That Actually Matter

Forget NPS scores and "intent to purchase." Here's what the successful founders tracked:

The Only 4 Numbers That Predicted Success:

The pattern was stupidly clear: If people weren't ANGRY about their current solution, they wouldn't switch. Period.

The Pre-Commitment Test (Where Dreams Die)

Here's where shit gets real. Asking for money before you have a product.

This is where many ideas die. But it's also where successful founders separate themselves from the wishful thinkers.

The Psychology of Pre-Commitment

People will lie to you until you ask for their credit card. Then suddenly they remember they need to "check with the team" or "review the budget" or "think about it."

Here's how successful founders handle it:

The Deposit Strategy: "I need 10 customers to commit $500 deposits to fund development. You'll get 50% off for life. Fully refundable if I don't deliver by [date]."

This can have a good conversion rate.

The Crowdfunding Approach: "I'm raising $10K from first customers to build this. Minimum commitment is $1,000 for lifetime access."

This can have a lower conversion rate, but may attract higher quality customers.

The Letter of Intent: "Can you sign this LOI committing to purchase at $X/month when we launch? It's non-binding but helps me secure funding."

This can have a high sign-up rate, but not all will follow through with a purchase.

The Advisory Customer: "Become an advisory customer: $2,000 upfront, you help shape the product, get lifetime pricing."

This can have a good conversion rate and provides incredibly valuable feedback.

An Email That Can Get Pre-Commitments

After the interview, a successful founder sent this:

Subject: Building exactly what we discussed - you in?

[Name],

After our conversation, I'm 100% convinced this problem needs solving.

Here's what I'm building based on your feedback:
- [Specific feature they wanted] 
- [Pain point they mentioned]
- [Price point they validated]

I need 10 founding customers to make this happen.

The deal:
- 50% off forever ($[X] instead of $[2X])
- Direct line to me (my personal cell)
- You shape the roadmap
- 100% money-back guarantee

I'm starting development Monday. Can you commit today?

Here's the payment link: [Stripe link]

Questions? Call me: [phone number]

Sarah

P.S. - 7 spots already taken. Not fake scarcity—I literally capped it at 10 for sanity.

The Build vs. Validate Paradox

Here's something nobody talks about: Sometimes you need to build a little to validate more.

But not what you think.

The Figma Prototype Hack

Some founders use this brilliant approach:

1. Build high-fidelity Figma prototype (8-12 hours)
2. Add real data from customer interviews
3. Record Loom walkthrough as if it's real
4. Send to prospects: "Here's the early version"
5. Watch them try to sign up for non-existent product
6. That urgency? That's validation

The Wizard of Oz MVP

Some founders validate with manual processes behind a real-looking front-end:

Example: TaskFlow (project management for contractors)

• Front-end: Simple web app (built in 3 days)
• Back-end: Founder manually updating Airtable
• Customer experience: Fully automated
• Price: $99/month
• Validation: 12 paying customers before automation

The founder literally woke up at 5 AM every day to manually process "automated" workflows. Customers never knew. By month 3, he had enough revenue to hire a developer.

The Concierge MVP Reality Check

Some founders try the "concierge MVP" approach where you manually deliver the service:

What worked:

• High-touch onboarding (validated need for automation)
• Weekly strategy calls (revealed real problems)
• Manual data processing (showed what to build)

What failed:

• Scaling beyond 5 customers (burnout)
• Maintaining quality (too time-intensive)
• Price validation (concierge ≠ software pricing)

Only use concierge for LEARNING, not validation. If they won't pay for software, you're just a consultant.

The Pivot Detection Framework

Many successful founders pivot during validation. Here's how they knew when to pivot vs. persist:

The 3-Strike Rule

If you get three of these signals, it's time to pivot:

Strike 1: The Price Collapse

• Initial price assumption: $200/month
• What people will actually pay: <$50/month
• Math doesn't work? Strike one.

Strike 2: The Excitement Fade

• First conversation: "This is AMAZING!"
• Second conversation: "Still thinking about it"
• Third conversation: Doesn't respond
• Pattern repeats 3+ times? Strike two.

Strike 3: The Feature Creep

• Customer 1: "Needs feature A"
• Customer 2: "Must have feature B"
• Customer 3: "Deal-breaker without feature C"
• No overlap? Strike three.

The Successful Pivots

DataPipe → DataSync (Sarah's story)

• Original: Full ETL platform
• Feedback: "Too complex, just need specific connectors"
• Pivot: 5 connectors that work perfectly
• Result: A successful, profitable business.

TeamTasks → ContractorHub

• Original: Generic project management
• Feedback: "We need contractor-specific features"
• Pivot: Niche down to contractors only
• Result: A successful, profitable business.

MetricsDash → ChurnAlert

• Original: Full analytics platform
• Feedback: "Only care about churn prediction"
• Pivot: Just churn. Nothing else.
• Result: A successful, profitable business.

Notice the pattern? They all got MORE specific, not less.

The Validation Timeline That Works

Here's a timeline based on what works:

Week 1-2: Problem Discovery

• Define IVP (Initial Victim Profile)
• Find 30 potential customers
• Send outreach messages
• Goal: 15 conversations booked

Week 3-4: Problem Validation

• Conduct 15+ interviews
• Document pain points
• Measure anger levels
• Goal: Find pattern across 5+ conversations

Week 5: Solution Design

• Design solution based on feedback
• Create pricing model
• Build Figma prototype or slides
• Goal: Concrete offer to test

Week 6: Money Validation

• Re-contact interested people
• Ask for pre-commitments
• Get credit cards on file
• Goal: 5+ paying commitments

Week 7-8: Build or Kill Decision

• If <5 commitments: Kill it
• If 5-10 commitments: Maybe (iterate)
• If >10 commitments: Build it
• Goal: Clear go/no-go decision

Total time: 8 weeks maximum

Anything longer and you're procrastinating, not validating.

The Brutal Truth About Market Size

VCs will tell you to calculate TAM, SAM, and SOM.

Fuck that.

Here's the only market sizing that matters for validation:

The 100 Customer Test

Can you name 100 specific companies that would buy this?

Not "all SaaS companies" or "SMBs in America."

Like:

• Stripe (for their data team)
• Shopify (for their sales ops)
• Notion (for their customer success)
• [97 more SPECIFIC names]

If you can't list 100, your market is too small or too vague.

The $10K MRR Math

Work backwards from $10K MRR:

At $100/month pricing:

• Need: 100 customers
• With 2% conversion: Need 5,000 prospects
• Can you find 5,000? Probably viable.

At $1,000/month pricing:

• Need: 10 customers
• With 2% conversion: Need 500 prospects
• Can you find 500? Definitely viable.

At $10/month pricing:

• Need: 1,000 customers
• With 2% conversion: Need 50,000 prospects
• Can you find 50,000? Better be B2C.

The sweet spot for B2B SaaS: $200-500/month targeting a market of 5,000-10,000 companies.

The Competition Validation Matrix

"But there's already competition!"

Good. Competition validates demand. No competition means no market.

Here's how the winners handled competition:

The Positioning Against Competitors

Option 1: The Unbundler

• Competitor: Does 50 things okay
• You: Do 1 thing perfectly
• Example: ChurnAlert vs Mixpanel

Option 2: The Simplifier

• Competitor: Enterprise complexity
• You: SMB simplicity
• Example: Linear vs Jira

Option 3: The Verticalized

• Competitor: Horizontal solution
• You: Industry-specific
• Example: ContractorHub vs Monday.com

Option 4: The Price Disruptor

• Competitor: $500/month
• You: $50/month with 80% of features
• Example: DataSync vs Fivetran

The Competitive Intelligence Gathering

How to learn everything about competitors in 2 hours:

1. Sign up for free trial (obviously)
2. Read their worst reviews (G2, Capterra - filter 1-2 stars)
3. Check their subreddit (search "[competitor] sucks" or "alternative")
4. Join their Slack/Discord (watch complaints)
5. Call their sales team (pretend to be enterprise)
6. Check their job posts (reveals strategy)
7. Read their changelog (see velocity)

Document:

• What people hate most (your opportunity)
• Their pricing (your positioning)
• Their target market (your differentiation)
• Their churn reasons (your messaging)

The Emotional Rollercoaster (And How to Survive It)

Let's get real for a second. Validation is emotionally brutal.

You're gonna hear:

• "This is stupid"
• "Why would anyone pay for this?"
• "Isn't this just like [competitor]?"
• "I don't get it"
• "Maybe, but not now"

Successful founders often hear MORE rejection than those who fail. Why? Because they talked to more people.

The Validation Depression Curve

Every founder goes through this:

Day 1-7: Euphoria "This idea is genius! Everyone will want it!"

Day 8-21: Reality Check "Okay, some people don't get it, but that's fine..."

Day 22-35: The Trough of Sorrow "Nobody wants this. I'm an idiot. Should I get a job?"

Day 36-45: The Glimmer "Wait, these 5 people seem really interested..."

Day 46-60: The Clarity "I know exactly who wants this and why."

The ones who quit? They stopped in the trough.

The ones who succeeded? They kept fucking going.

The Support System That Works

Successful founders often have:

• An accountability partner (another founder)
• Weekly check-ins with someone
• A public building journal
• A therapist (not joking)

Solo validation is a recipe for delusion or depression. Usually both.

The "Fuck It, Ship It" Moment

Every successful founder had this moment. The data was good but not perfect. They had some validation but not overwhelming demand.

And they said "fuck it" and built anyway.

But—and this is crucial—they had:

• At least 5 pre-commitments
• Clear problem validation
• Specific target customer
• Path to first 10 customers
• Less than $10K investment needed

The difference between successful "fuck it" and delusional "fuck it"?

Money. On. The. Table.

Your 8-Week Validation Sprint

Stop reading. Start doing. Here's your plan:

Week 1: Setup

• Define your IVP (one paragraph)
• Write problem hypothesis
• List 100 target companies
• Find 30 people to contact
• Send 30 outreach messages

Week 2: First Conversations

• Conduct 5+ interviews
• Document pain points
• Measure anger levels (1-10)
• Ask about current spending
• Refine problem hypothesis

Week 3: Deep Dive

• Conduct 10+ more interviews
• Find pattern across interviews
• Validate budget exists
• Understand buying process
• Identify must-have features

Week 4: Solution Design

• Design minimum viable solution
• Create pricing strategy
• Build prototype/mockup
• Write sales page copy
• Prepare pre-commitment offer

Week 5: Money Test

• Re-contact interested people
• Present solution
• Ask for pre-commitment
• Handle objections
• Get credit cards

Week 6: Push for Commits

• Follow up all maybes
• Sweeten offer if needed
• Create urgency
• Close founding customers
• Document commitments

Week 7: Build Decision

• Count commitments
• Calculate unit economics
• Assess market size
• Make go/no-go decision
• Inform all participants

Week 8: Next Steps

• If GO: Start building MVP
• If NO: Thank everyone, share learnings
• If MAYBE: Pivot and restart

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's what can be learned from observing many founders:

Most ideas are bad. Not kinda bad. Really bad. The validation process isn't about proving your idea is good—it's about killing it quickly if it's bad.

The founders who succeeded weren't smarter or luckier. They were just willing to hear "no" more often and earlier.

They didn't fall in love with their solution. They fell in love with the problem.

And when they found a problem that made people genuinely angry, that people were already paying to solve, that had a clear buyer with budget...

Then and only then did they build.

Your idea probably sucks. That's okay. Most do.

The question is: Are you willing to find out?

Or are you gonna be another Marcus, building in a vacuum, burning money on a "vision" that nobody wants?

The choice is yours.

But please, for the love of god, don't build another project management tool without validation.

We have enough of those.

Currently validating a SaaS idea? Join BuildVoyage and document your validation journey. Share your pre-commitments, pivots, and breakthroughs with founders who've been through the validation trenches. Your rejection story today could be someone's inspiration tomorrow.