🙋‍♂️ Hello! Aron here w/ ValidatorAI.com 

Before we start…

If you have an idea that you’re excited about, it’s smart to mockup what it might look like. We’ve partnered with Base44, where you can bring your idea to life, for FREE, in seconds.

Click here 👉 Base44 👈 and copy/paste this prompt below to see what your idea looks like live: (fill in the parts in brackets with your idea details)

I am building [insert your startup idea here, briefly, one or two sentences], which helps [who is your target audience] solve the problem of [what is the problem in the market you are solving] by [how does your idea solve this problem]. My goal is to validate demand and collect emails from interested customers. Please create a landing page that clearly communicates this, includes a strong call-to-action, and allows users to sign up or express interest. Be sure to use a design and imagery that match my target market and be sure the main focus of the landing page is to capture signups so I can stay in touch with early customers.

I was talking with a founder friend this week (2 previous large exits) and something important came up.

When people talk about idea validation, they focus on problems, customer demand and the competition.

But there’s one step that a lot of us completely miss… and it’s the one that determines whether our idea is a hobby or a business:

Does your target audience actually spend money?

Some groups love to talk, sign up for betas and share feedback, but they rarely buy.


Before you build, ask yourself:

If you’ve found yourself with a great idea that people aren’t willing to pay for, don’t give up.


Below are 5 examples of this being solved in the real world. The answer to your problem isn’t so complicated…

If your audience won’t pay for your solution… determine who in your market will pay to reach these people and start matching up your audience with them.


Here are some quick examples of target customers that don’t pay, and how companies have found ways to still make money:

1️⃣ Job Seekers

Why they don’t spend: They are between jobs, they are risk-averse and surrounded by free tools.

Reality: About 90% of job seekers rely entirely on LinkedIn or Indeed. They just don’t want to pay to move forward.

Who pays instead:

• Recruiters and staffing agencies

• Job boards and hiring platforms

• Resume-writing and interview-prep services

Real-life Example: LinkedIn earns 75% of its talent revenue from recruiters, not job hunters.

2️⃣ Startup Founders / Indie Hackers

Why they don’t spend: They are cash-poor but have tons of ideas. They don’t want to pay for subscriptions to move their ideas forward.

Reality: Roughly 70% of founders never invest more than $500 in their first idea.

Who pays instead:

• Accelerators and incubators

• Web hosting and no-code platforms (Replit, Bubble, Wix, Base44)

• SaaS affiliate programs
  

Real-life Example: Y Combinator gives founders free tools, but investors pay for access to that deal flow.

3️⃣ Students / Learners

Why they don’t spend: They have limited disposable income and access to endless free tools already.

Reality: 60% of students say they can’t afford paid learning tools.

Who pays instead:

• Bootcamps and ed-tech recruiters

• Employers and upskilling programs

• Certification platforms
  

Real-life Example: Duolingo monetizes through ads and English tests for corporations, not from students.

4️⃣ Creators / Artists

Why they don’t spend: They have unpredictable income. They are apprehensive of products that promise to boost engagement and revenue.

Reality: 98% of YouTube creators make under $1,000 per year.

Who pays instead:

• Brands and sponsors

• Merch and print-on-demand platforms

• Ad networks
  

Real-life Example: YouTube’s $30B+ ad revenue comes from advertisers, not creators.

5️⃣ Nonprofits / Activists

Why they don’t spend: They are mission-first focused. Many are grant funded. Most are resource constrained (money, headcount etc.).

Reality: Most U.S. nonprofits operate on under $500K/year.

Who pays instead:

• Donors and foundations

• Corporate sponsors

• Fundraising software vendors
  

Real-life Example: GiveButter.com is free for nonprofits, it earns processing fees from donor payments.

👉 If you’ve found yourself in the position of reaching a non-paying audience, don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of companies that will pay for access to the audience you can easily reach. Consider who may pay to reach the audience that you have.

There’s always a revenue model out there… you just have to be creative and find it!

** This newsletter includes partner links. We receive a commission if you end up paying for services featured here.

Take Care!

👍 Let’s connect on LinkedIn! 👍

Aron Meystedt

ValidatorAI.com — Explore your ideas and get a landing page built for free.
Symbolics.com — The original digital asset… the first .com ever registered. Check out our retro internet history explorer with hidden easter eggs.

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