Is your business idea viable? Here's how to tell...

The phrase “If you build it, they will come” is a romantic notion that’s bad for business. The best strategy is to find an audience first and launch from there.

Make a list of 100 people you know who might be interested in your idea. At this point, it’s okay if you only have some vague concept that could make their lives a bit easier.

Next, find the yes. Share your idea with these 100 people and ask: “Is this something you’d be interested in?” If they say “no”, leave it at that. If they say “yes”, ask how much they’d pay for it.

Here’s where you can pivot into action. If they name a fair price and your idea is a tangible product or service that you can turn into reality, say: “Great! Can I send you a link to order it?”

If the answer is yes, create a Paypal link and send it to them. You’re now in business. 

Get at least 10 pre-sales out of 100 before going any further. The process will give you some valuable insight and prove that your first “yes” wasn’t just a fluke.

The most challenging part of any product launch is going from zero to one. Pre-selling your idea to an interested audience officially ticks that box. Now you just have to scale that traction.

Consider forming a small communication group with your initial customers via email, WhatsApp, or Facebook so that you can finetune the product or service to fit their needs.

Make another list of 100 people. This time, it should only be people you want to sell to. Pitch them. Ask those who respond (most may not) the same questions as before. Aim for 10+ sales.

Once you’ve found some traction and established a built-in audience, you have successfully avoided a fatal pitfall in business: launching something with no idea if people will actually buy it.