Note: This article is a summary of https://peterthaleikis.com/business-idea-validation/
Eureka! You have a business idea. What should you do first? No, It's not the development phase. It isn't the design or the marketing stage. The process begins with validating your idea.
People like to jump at whims, but starting with research is helpful for many reasons. Most likely, you have no money set aside to allocate for the idea. Even though you're motivated at the moment, you will get discouraged after a while. You'll discover competition, or find the marketing stressful and overwhelming. Whatever the reason, plowing through the initial stages will give you powerful insights for the future.
To validate your idea, conduct some research. Gather a list of relevant phrases, words, and topics (keywords and keyphrases). Throw them at a bunch of popular websites, such as Google search, YouTube, Facebook, and Quora. (The article that I'm summarizing has a list of fifteen such sites). But don't just research your idea, also look at your competitors. Use online tools to check their social media presence and evaluate their backlinks. Lastly, talk to friends about your idea. Get real feedback from real people. Mention it on Twitter, and see how people react. A picture paints a thousand words, but people paint pictures.
