Hey, Aron here.
Let’s see if your startup idea scores a 5-star Yelp review.
All of the key criteria below were taken directly from our founder behavioral data that predicts the odds of startup success.

Score your startup idea. Be honest.

Give yourself 5 points for each one that applies. Add them up at the end.

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Ok here we go.
Give yourself 5 points for each of these that applies to you.
Add them up at the end to see how you did.

1. You have clearly named one specific customer.
   Not a category, one actual type of person with a specific job or situation. 5 points.

2. You have talked to at least three real people who match that customer description.
   Not friends, not family, not people who love you. 5 points.

3. You know exactly where to find your first ten customers right now.
   A specific community, forum, event, or platform where they already gather. 5 points.

4. Your idea has one core feature, not five. 
   You deliberately removed the others. 5 points.

5. You validated your idea and took one meaningful action in the same session. 
   5 points.

6. You have at least one person who has said they would pay for this.
   Not "that sounds cool" but actually expressed willingness to pay. 5 points.

7. Your idea has gotten simpler since you first had it, not more complex.
   5 points.

8. You have come back to this idea with a specific question to answer. 
   Not just to tinker. 5 points.

9. You can describe the problem your customer has without mentioning your product at all. 
   5 points.

10. You have worked on this idea outside of business hours.
    Evenings, early mornings, or weekends.
    5 points.

Your score:

50 → Five stars. You are not the person this newsletter was written for. Go build something. Right now. Stop reading! 🤣

35-45 → Four stars. Very strong signals. One or two gaps that are closeable this week. You know which ones they are. 🤩

20-30 → Three stars. The idea is great, but the founder isn't quite ready yet. The gap between here and four stars is one customer conversation. 👍

10-15 → Two stars. Idea shows promise but the reviews are mixed. Scope is too big. Customer is too vague. Come back after talking to five real people. 😎

0-5 → One star. Would not recommend in current form. Owner is awesome, but the idea needs significant work before reopening. The good news: every five-star idea started here. 🤗

HOW DID YOU SCORE?

We’re seeing the odds of startup success / progress are predictable. Less to do with your idea itself and more about the decisions you make along the way. It’s all behavioral, which is the good news!

Happy to discuss your big idea, anytime.

Aron Meystedt
Chief Data Nerd - ValidatorAI

👬 Let’s connect on LinkedIn!

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