How to Validate a Business Idea in 5 Days (Without Coding)

You have a business idea. It keeps you up at night. You can see the product, the users, the success. But there's that gnawing fear: What if nobody wants this?

Here's the uncomfortable truth: 67% of startups fail because they build products nobody wants (CB Insights, 2024). Not because of bad tech. Not because of poor execution. Because they never validated demand before writing a single line of code.

I've been there. I've watched founders spend 6 months building before learning their idea had zero market. I've also validated 3 startup ideas using smoke tests—2 succeeded, 1 failed in week one and saved me months of wasted effort.

This guide shows you how to validate your business idea in 5 days using a smoke test. No coding. No expensive tools. Just real market validation with actual purchase intent.

What Is a Smoke Test? (And Why It Works)

A smoke test is a minimal experiment that measures real market demand before you build anything. Think of it as a "fake door" test—you create the appearance of a product to see if people actually want to buy it.

Here's how it works:

Create a simple landing page describing your product
Add a "Buy Now" or "Pre-Order" button
Drive traffic to measure genuine interest
Track who attempts to purchase (not just clicks)

The magic isn't in the page—it's in measuring purchase intent. When someone enters their credit card information (even if you don't charge them), they're showing real commitment. That's validation you can trust.

Why Smoke Tests Beat Surveys

Most founders start with surveys. "Would you buy this?" they ask. 90% say yes. Then they build it and... crickets.

The problem? Stated preferences ≠ actual behavior.

Smoke tests measure what people do, not what they say. When someone pulls out their wallet, that's signal. When they click "maybe later" on a survey, that's noise.

The 5-Day Validation Framework

I've validated ideas in as little as 48 hours, but 5 days gives you enough time to gather meaningful data without overthinking. Here's the day-by-day breakdown:

Day 1: Define Your Validation Hypothesis

Before you build anything, get crystal clear on what you're testing.

Answer these questions:

Who is your target customer? (Be specific—"remote workers" is vague, "freelance designers in NYC who work from coffee shops" is testable)
What problem are you solving? (In one sentence)
What's your price point? (Pick something—you can adjust later)
What success metric will prove demand? (e.g., "20 people enter payment info in week one")

Example hypothesis: "Freelance designers in NYC will pay $29/month for an app showing real-time coffee shop availability with wifi speeds. Success = 15 payment attempts in 5 days."

Write this down. This is your north star. If you hit your target, there's demand. If you don't, pivot or kill it fast.

Day 2: Build Your Smoke Test Landing Page

You need exactly one page. Not a website. Not an app. One. Single. Page.

Essential elements:

Headline: What's the core benefit? (10 words max)
Subheadline: Who is this for + what problem does it solve? (20 words max)
How it works: 3-4 bullet points
Social proof: Even if you don't have customers yet (founder story, credentials, "joining X others")
Price: Be upfront. No "coming soon" mystery pricing.
CTA button: "Pre-Order Now" / "Reserve Your Spot" / "Buy Early Access"

No-code tools to use:

Carrd ($19/year): Dead simple, beautiful templates, custom domains
Typedream (Free tier available): Notion-style editing, built-in analytics
Webflow (Free for one page): More design control if you want it

Copy formula that converts:

[Headline: Core Benefit]
[Subheadline: Target + Problem]

Imagine [desired outcome]. No more [pain point].

[Product name] helps [target customer] [achieve outcome] in [timeframe].

Here's how it works:
• [Feature/benefit 1]
• [Feature/benefit 2]  
• [Feature/benefit 3]

[Social proof element]

[Price] • [CTA Button]

Example:

Find Quiet Coffee Shops with Available Seating
For remote workers who waste 30 minutes finding workspace

Imagine opening an app and instantly seeing which coffee shops near you have open seats, fast wifi, and low noise levels.

WorkspaceScout helps remote professionals find productive workspace in under 60 seconds.

Here's how it works:
• Real-time seat availability from 200+ NYC coffee shops
• Wifi speed ratings from actual users
• Noise level tracking to match your work style

Join 47 NYC remote workers already on the waitlist

$29/month • Reserve Early Access →

Time budget for Day 2: 3-4 hours max. Don't obsess over perfect design. Your goal is functional not beautiful.

Day 3: Set Up Payment Intent Tracking

This is where most founders get nervous. "Won't people be mad if I ask for payment but don't deliver?"

Not if you're transparent. Here's how to measure purchase intent ethically:

Option 1: Stripe Test Mode (Recommended)

Stripe has a "test mode" where payment forms look real but don't actually charge cards. Perfect for smoke tests.

Setup:

Create free Stripe account
Stay in "Test Mode" (top left toggle)
Use Stripe Checkout or Stripe Payment Links
Create product with your price
Embed checkout button on landing page

Test card numbers: Stripe provides test cards (4242 4242 4242 4242) that work in test mode but don't charge real money.

Disclosure: Add small text near button: "This is a validation test. No charges will be processed. We're measuring interest to determine if we should build this product."

Why this works: People who enter payment info (even test mode) are showing genuine intent. That's the signal you need.

Option 2: Pre-Order with Refund Policy

If you want to collect real pre-orders, use this approach:

Real Stripe account in live mode
Charge a discounted early-bird price (e.g., "$19 early access—regular $49")
Clear messaging: "Pre-order now. Product ships in 8 weeks. Full refund if we don't build it."
Use funds to actually build the product

Legal protection: Include refund policy on page. If you don't hit validation targets, refund everyone and send an email explaining why.

Option 3: Waitlist with Email + "Would You Pay $X?" Button

Weakest signal but fastest to implement:

Collect emails with simple form
Show pricing on page
Second button: "Yes, I'd pay $X for this" (tracks clicks)
Follow-up email asking for payment info

Why this is weaker: Clicking "yes" costs nothing. But it's better than a pure survey.

Day 3 time budget: 2-3 hours to set up payment tracking.

Day 4-5: Drive Targeted Traffic

You've got your page. You've got tracking. Now you need people. The right people.

Forget paid ads for now. You don't need thousands of visitors. You need 50-200 highly targeted potential customers. Here's how to find them:

Strategy 1: Direct Outreach (Highest quality signal)

Personally message 50-100 people in your target audience:

LinkedIn DMs to people in your niche
Reddit PMs to active community members
Twitter/X DMs to followers of competitors
Email to personal network who fit profile

Message template:

Hey [Name], 

I saw you're [relevant detail]. Quick question: do you struggle with [specific problem]?

I'm validating an idea for [solution] and wondering if this resonates with you. Takes 2 min to check out: [link]

Honest feedback welcome—this is a test to see if it's worth building.

<ul className="list-square list-outside ml-6 space-y-2 text-gray-800 mb-8 marker:text-[#7FA86F]">
  <li>[Your name]</li>
</ul>

Why this works: Personal touch. Clear ask. No spam. People respect the transparency.

Strategy 2: Community Posts (Scale with authenticity)

Post in relevant communities where your audience hangs out:

Reddit:

Find 3-5 subreddits where your audience is active
Post format: "Validating an idea—[problem] solution for [audience]. Honest feedback?"
Include link in comments, not title (avoids spam filters)
Engage with every comment

Example subreddits by niche:

SaaS ideas → r/SaaS, r/Entrepreneur, r/startups
Local services → r/[YourCity], niche local subreddits
B2B tools → r/sales, r/marketing, r/freelance

Facebook Groups:

Join 5-10 groups where target customers gather
Follow group rules (many ban promotion)
Participate authentically for a day before posting
Format: "Asking for feedback" not "Check out my product"

LinkedIn:

Write post describing the problem you're solving
Ask: "Would you use something like this?"
Link in first comment: "Putting together a rough version here: [link]"

Indie Hackers / Hacker News / Product Hunt:

Frame as "Show HN: Validating [idea]"
Explain smoke test methodology
Ask for critical feedback
These communities appreciate the transparency

Strategy 3: Content-First Validation (Slower but builds authority)

If you have 5+ days, create content that attracts your audience:

Write Twitter/X thread about the problem
Create LinkedIn post with your solution hypothesis
Make YouTube video showing problem + testing solution live
Write Medium article: "I'm testing if [idea] solves [problem]"

Link to smoke test page in all content.

Strategy 4: Paid Ads (Only if you have budget)

If you want to spend $50-200 to accelerate:

Google Ads:

Target exact-match problem keywords
Example: "coffee shop finder app" "workspace finder NYC"
Budget: $5-10/day for 5 days

Facebook/Instagram Ads:

Target detailed demographics matching your customer
Lead with problem, not solution
Budget: $10/day for 5 days

Reddit Ads:

Target specific subreddits
Less expensive than Facebook
Budget: $50 total

Expected traffic for 5-day test:

Direct outreach: 30-60 visitors
Community posts: 50-150 visitors
Content-first: 20-100 visitors
Paid ads: 100-500 visitors (if spending $100+)

You don't need 10,000 visitors. You need 50-200 right visitors. Quality beats quantity in smoke tests.

Measuring Success: What the Data Means

After 5 days, you'll have data. Here's how to interpret it:

Conversion Funnel Metrics

Track these numbers:

Total visitors (from analytics)
CTA clicks (people who clicked buy/pre-order button)
Payment attempts (people who entered payment info)
Completed purchases (if using real payments)

Conversion benchmarks:

| Metric | Good Signal | Strong Signal | Red Flag | |--------|-------------|---------------|----------| | Visitor → CTA Click | 10-20% | 20-30%+ | <5% | | CTA Click → Payment Attempt | 30-50% | 50-70%+ | <20% | | Overall Conversion | 5-10% | 10-15%+ | <2% |

Example calculation:

100 visitors
15 clicked CTA button (15% click rate)
8 entered payment info (53% of clickers)
Overall: 8% conversion

Verdict: Strong signal. Build it.

Qualitative Signals (Just as Important)

Numbers tell part of the story. Watch for:

Green flags:

People asking "when will this be ready?"
Specific feature requests
Sharing with friends/colleagues
Following up via email: "Any updates?"
Offering to pay more for early access

Yellow flags:

High clicks, low payment attempts (interesting but not convinced)
Questions about different use cases (might be targeting wrong audience)
"Cool idea but..." feedback (lukewarm interest)

Red flags:

"This already exists" (competitor you missed)
"I'd never pay for this" (free alternative exists)
High bounce rate + no clicks (wrong audience or messaging)
Crickets (no traction at all)

Decision Framework

After 5 days:

If you hit your target metric (e.g., 15+ payment attempts): → Strong validation. Start building MVP.

If you're at 50-75% of target: → Moderate interest. Run test for another week with improved messaging.

If you're below 50% of target: → Weak signal. Pivot the idea or positioning. Don't build yet.

If zero traction: → Kill it. Thank everyone for their time. Move to next idea.

What to Do After Your Smoke Test

Scenario 1: Strong Validation (Hit Your Target)

Congratulations. You've proven demand. Now what?

Immediate actions:

Email everyone who showed interest:

Thank them for validating your idea
Give realistic timeline for launch (e.g., "8-12 weeks")
Ask for detailed feedback: "What's the #1 feature you need?"
Offer early-bird discount if they pre-order now

Build your MVP:

Focus on core feature only
Don't scope creep based on feedback (yet)
Ship in 4-8 weeks, not 6 months

Keep your early believers engaged:

Weekly update emails
Invite to beta test
Ask for feedback throughout development

Template email:

Subject: We're building [Product Name]!

Hey [Name],

You were one of [X] people who showed interest in [Product Name] during our validation test last week.

The demand is real—so we're building it.

Timeline: [8-12 weeks] until launch
Your price: $[early-bird price] (40% off regular price)

Before we build, I'd love to know: what's the ONE feature you need most?

Reply to this email—I read every response.

Building this with you,
[Your Name]

Scenario 2: Moderate Validation (50-75% of Target)

There's interest, but not overwhelming demand. Two options:

Option A: Refine and Re-test

The idea might be right, but positioning is off.

Test these variables:

Pricing: Maybe $49/month is too high. Try $19 or $9.
Target audience: Maybe you're reaching wrong people. Adjust messaging.
Core benefit: Rewrite headline to emphasize different pain point.
Traffic source: If Reddit flopped, try LinkedIn. Different audiences respond differently.

Run another 5-day test with changes. If still weak, consider pivoting.

Option B: Build Anyway (If You Have Strong Conviction)

Sometimes the market isn't ready for your messaging, but the problem is real.

If you're seeing qualitative signals (excited emails, feature requests, people asking "when?"), consider building a simple MVP anyway. Just know you're taking more risk.

Scenario 3: Weak/Zero Validation

This is the hardest outcome—but it's also the most valuable.

You just saved yourself 6 months and $50,000.

Don't get discouraged. Failed validation ≠ failed founder. It means you validated the validation process.

Next steps:

Analyze why it failed:

Wrong audience?
Problem not painful enough?
Solution not compelling?
Competitors already dominating?

Share your findings:

Write post about what you learned
Post on Indie Hackers: "Validated this idea—here's what I discovered"
Your transparency builds credibility for next idea

Pivot or move on:

Can you adjust the idea to solve a related problem?
Is there a sub-niche with more pain?
Or is it time to test a completely different idea?

Email to interested folks:

Subject: [Product Name] validation results

Hey,

Thank you for checking out [Product Name] last week during our validation test.

After 5 days, we didn't see enough demand to justify building this product. Here's what we learned:

[1-2 sentences on key insight]

Because of this, we're not moving forward with development. If you pre-ordered, you'll receive a full refund within 3-5 business days.

I'm exploring [alternative direction or pivot]. If that interests you, I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for being part of this validation experiment.

<ul className="list-square list-outside ml-6 space-y-2 text-gray-800 mb-8 marker:text-[#7FA86F]">
  <li>[Your Name]</li>
</ul>

People respect honesty. Many will follow your journey to the next idea.

Common Smoke Test Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

I've seen (and made) these mistakes. Learn from my pain:

Mistake 1: Building the Product Before Validating

The trap: "I'll just build a quick MVP, then test it."

Why it fails: Your "quick MVP" becomes 3 months. By the time you test, you're emotionally attached. You ignore negative signals.

Fix: Always validate first. Even one week of smoke testing beats three months of building the wrong thing.

Mistake 2: Using Vanity Metrics

The trap: "I got 500 email signups! People love it!"

Why it fails: Email signups are free. They show interest, not commitment. Most won't convert to paid customers.

Fix: Track payment intent. Free is not validation.

Mistake 3: Testing with Friends/Family

The trap: "My mom thinks it's a great idea!"

Why it fails: Friends lie to protect your feelings. They'll sign up to support you, not because they need your product.

Fix: Test with strangers in your target market. Cold traffic = honest feedback.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Negative Feedback

The trap: "Those people just don't get it. My idea is still great."

Why it fails: The market doesn't care about your vision. If they don't get it, your messaging failed.

Fix: Negative feedback is a gift. Adjust or pivot based on what you learn.

Mistake 5: Running Test for Too Long

The trap: "I'll just run this for another month to get more data..."

Why it fails: You're procrastinating on the hard decision. More time won't change weak signals.

Fix: Set strict timeframe upfront (5-7 days). Decide based on results. Move fast.

Mistake 6: Making the Page Too Complex

The trap: "I need multiple pages, FAQs, testimonials, a blog..."

Why it fails: Complexity = delay. You're overthinking when you should be testing.

Fix: One page. One CTA. Simple is fast.

Real Smoke Test Examples (With Results)

Let me show you real smoke tests that worked (and one that failed):

Example 1: "CoffeeTime" (NYC Workspace Finder)

Hypothesis: Remote workers will pay $29/month for real-time coffee shop availability.

Smoke test setup:

Carrd landing page ($19)
Stripe test mode checkout
Posted in r/digitalnomad, r/remotework, r/nyc
DM'd 40 NYC freelancers on LinkedIn

Results (5 days):

87 visitors
24 CTA clicks (28% rate)
11 payment attempts (46% of clicks, 13% overall)
Target was 10 payment attempts

Verdict: ✅ Validated. Built MVP in 6 weeks. Launched to 11 early adopters at $19/month. Now has 200+ users.

Example 2: "TaskFlow" (B2B Task Management)

Hypothesis: Small marketing agencies will pay $99/month for client task management tool.

Smoke test setup:

Webflow landing page
Stripe live mode for pre-orders at $49 early-bird price
Posted in r/marketing, r/agency, outreach to 60 agency owners on LinkedIn

Results (7 days):

134 visitors
8 CTA clicks (6% rate)
1 completed pre-order

Verdict: ❌ Failed validation. Problem: Agencies already use Asana/ClickUp. Solution wasn't 10x better. Killed idea, refunded pre-order.

Key learning: "Better project management" isn't enough. Need fundamentally different approach or niche problem.

Example 3: "FocusBlocks" (Deep Work Timer)

Hypothesis: Knowledge workers will pay $9/month for focus session tracking.

Smoke test setup:

Simple Carrd page
Gumroad for pre-orders (simpler than Stripe for digital products)
Twitter thread about deep work problems (1,200 views)
Posted in r/productivity

Results (5 days):

240 visitors
56 CTA clicks (23% rate)
18 pre-orders at $9 (32% of clicks)

Verdict: ✅ Strong validation. Launched MVP 4 weeks later. Hit $1,200 MRR in month one.

Key insight: Low price point + strong pain point = high conversion. People will pay $9 to test without much hesitation.

Advanced Validation Tactics

Once you've mastered basic smoke tests, level up with these strategies:

Multi-Variant Testing

Test different positioning simultaneously:

Setup:

Create 2-3 landing pages with different angles
Same product, different messaging
Drive equal traffic to each
See which converts best

Example:

Page A: "Stop wasting time finding workspace. Get real-time coffee shop availability." Page B: "Work from the best coffee shops. See seating, wifi, and noise levels instantly." Page C: "NYC's coffee shop network for remote professionals. Find your perfect workspace."

Result: Page B converts 2x better than A. Now you know "best coffee shops" resonates more than "stop wasting time."

Price Point Testing

Not sure what to charge? Test multiple prices:

Method 1: Sequential testing

Week 1: Test at $29/month
Week 2: Test at $19/month
Week 3: Test at $49/month
Compare conversion rates

Method 2: A/B split

50% of traffic sees $29 price
50% sees $49 price
Measure payment attempt rates

What to learn: Find the price where demand stays strong but revenue maximizes.

Feature Voting

Let customers tell you what to build:

Setup:

After payment attempt, show "Thanks! Quick question:"
List 4-5 potential features
"Which of these is most important to you?"
Radio buttons + submit

Why this works: You validate not just the product, but which features to prioritize in your MVP.

Competitor Displacement Test

Test if people will switch from existing solutions:

Page copy approach: "Currently using [Competitor]? Here's why [Your Product] is different..."

CTA: "Switch to [Your Product] - Early Adopter Price"

If people switch: Strong signal. You've found a real differentiation. If they don't: Your advantage isn't compelling enough.

Tools & Resources

Landing Page Builders (No-Code)

Best for beginners:

Carrd - $19/year, simple, fast
Typedream - Free tier, Notion-style

More control:

Webflow - Free for one page, powerful design
Framer - Free tier, motion design capabilities

Speed over perfection:

Unicorn Platform - $8/month, startup templates
Versoly - $12/month, SaaS focus

Payment & Pre-Order Tools

Stripe (Free, industry standard)

Test mode for smoke tests
Checkout for embeddable payments
Payment Links for no-code solution

Gumroad ($10 + 10% fee)

Best for digital products
Instant setup, no coding
Built-in email collection

Lemon Squeezy (5% + $0.50 per transaction)

Merchant of record (handles tax)
Good for global sales
Pre-orders supported

Analytics

Free options:

Google Analytics 4 (comprehensive but complex)
Plausible (simple, privacy-focused, $9/month)
Fathom Analytics (similar to Plausible, $14/month)

What to track:

Page views
CTA button clicks
Form submissions
Payment attempts
Traffic sources

Email Collection & Follow-Up

Mailchimp (Free up to 500 contacts) ConvertKit (Free up to 1,000 subscribers, creator-focused) Loops ($29/month for 2,000 contacts, modern UI)

Set up automated sequence:

Day 0: Thanks for interest email
Day 3: "We're at X signups, help us reach target"
Day 7: Results + next steps

Outreach Tools

For LinkedIn DMs:

LinkedIn Sales Navigator (free trial, then $99/month)
Manual outreach (free, time-intensive)

For Reddit:

Reddit account (free, age it 2+ weeks before posting)
Reddit Post Scheduler - $7/month

For Email Outreach:

Hunter.io - Find email addresses (free tier: 25/month)
Lemlist - Cold email campaigns ($59/month)

Ethical Considerations

Smoke testing walks a fine line. You're measuring intent for something that doesn't exist yet. Do it ethically:

Be Transparent

Always disclose:

This is a validation test
Product doesn't exist yet (but will if demand is proven)
Timeline expectations (e.g., "ships in 8-12 weeks")

Where to disclose:

Near payment button
Confirmation page
Follow-up email

Example disclosure: "This is a pre-order for a product we're validating. Development begins when we reach 50 orders. Estimated delivery: 10-12 weeks. Full refund available anytime before launch."

Don't Ghost People

If you validate and build:

Update everyone weekly on progress
Ship when promised (or explain delays)
Honor early-bird pricing

If you fail to validate:

Email everyone explaining why
Refund any pre-orders immediately
Thank them for participating

Respect Privacy

Don't sell email lists
Clear unsubscribe options
GDPR/privacy policy if collecting EU data
Store payment data securely (let Stripe handle it)

Set Realistic Expectations

Don't promise:

Exact features before validating what people want
Unrealistic timelines ("ships next week!")
Features you can't technically deliver

Do promise:

Honest effort to build if validated
Refunds if you don't build
Transparency throughout

FAQ

"Isn't this just lying to customers?"

No—if you're transparent. Smoke testing isn't about deception; it's about measuring real intent before investing months of work. As long as you disclose that this is a validation test and what happens next, you're being ethical.

Think of it like Kickstarter: people back projects that don't exist yet. They know the risk. Smoke tests are the same—just faster and smaller scale.

"What if someone steals my idea?"

Ideas are worthless without execution. Worry less about theft, more about validation.

Besides: if your idea can be stolen from a landing page, it wasn't defensible anyway. Real competitive advantages come from execution, relationships, and iteration—not from keeping ideas secret.

"Can I smoke test if I'm not technical?"

Absolutely. That's the point. Every tool listed here is no-code. You don't need to be technical to validate. You need to be resourceful.

"How much does a smoke test cost?"

Minimal budget:

Domain: $12/year
Carrd: $19/year
Stripe: Free
Total: ~$31

Comfortable budget:

Domain: $12/year
Webflow: Free for one page
Stripe: Free
Paid ads: $50-200
Total: $62-212

"What if I get hundreds of pre-orders but can't build it?"

Two options:

Find a technical co-founder: Strong validation makes this easier
Hire a developer: Use pre-order revenue to fund development

If neither works: refund everyone, apologize, and be honest about the situation. Most people respect the attempt.

"Should I validate multiple ideas simultaneously?"

No. Focus is critical. Validate one idea fully before moving to the next. Multiple half-tests give you unclear data.

Exception: If you're testing variations of the same core idea (e.g., different target audiences for same product), you can run parallel tests.

"How long should I give people to decide?"

Don't create false urgency ("Offer expires in 2 hours!") if it's fake. But you can create real scarcity:

"First 50 orders get $20 early-bird price"
"Testing for 7 days—then we decide whether to build"
"Limited to 100 beta users for quality assurance"

Legitimate urgency is fine. Fake countdown timers are manipulative.

The Meta-Lesson: Validate Everything

Here's what most founders miss: smoke testing isn't just for your first idea.

Use smoke tests for:

New features before building them
Pricing changes before implementing them
New target markets before pivoting
Content topics before writing them

The validate-first mindset compounds. Every avoided waste of time frees you up to test more ideas. Every validated concept gives you confidence to execute.

I validated this article's topic before writing it. Posted a Twitter thread asking: "Would a comprehensive guide on 5-day smoke tests be useful?" Got 40+ replies saying yes. So I wrote it.

That's the mindset shift: build what's proven, not what's guessed.

Your 5-Day Validation Checklist

Print this. Pin it to your wall. Follow it.

Day 1:

[ ] Define target customer (specific)
[ ] Write one-sentence problem statement
[ ] Set price point
[ ] Define success metric (X payment attempts)

Day 2:

[ ] Build landing page (Carrd/Webflow)
[ ] Write headline + subheadline
[ ] List 3-4 key features/benefits
[ ] Add CTA button
[ ] Set up domain

Day 3:

[ ] Configure Stripe test mode
[ ] Create product in Stripe
[ ] Embed checkout on page
[ ] Add disclosure about validation test
[ ] Test payment flow yourself

Day 4-5:

[ ] Direct outreach: Message 50+ target customers
[ ] Community posts: 3-5 relevant communities
[ ] Track traffic + conversions daily
[ ] Respond to all feedback

Day 6:

[ ] Analyze results vs. target metric
[ ] Review qualitative feedback
[ ] Make decision: build, pivot, or kill
[ ] Email all interested people with next steps

Take Action Now

You've read this far. That means you're serious about validating your idea.

Here's your immediate next step:

Right now, in the next 60 seconds:

Open a document and write:

Your target customer in one sentence
The problem you're solving in one sentence
Your success metric for validation

Then commit to running your smoke test this week. Not next month. This week.

The difference between founders who succeed and those who don't isn't intelligence or resources. It's speed of learning. The faster you validate, the faster you find what works.

Your idea might fail. That's okay. Failed validation is still success—you learned fast.

Or your idea might work. Then you'll be building something people actually want.

Either way, you win.

Stop overthinking. Start testing.

Questions? I've validated 3 startup ideas using smoke tests. Happy to help you validate yours. Drop a comment or reach out.

Want the complete smoke test kit? I'm building a platform that generates your landing page, payment setup, and traffic playbook in 5 minutes. Join 23 founders testing it (yes, this is also a smoke test—meta, right?).