Read time: 3 minutes to show you how to move forward today!

Today:

🔬 How to prove there is demand for your startup idea and spend $0 doing it!

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🤖 We put our AI to the same challenge. Let’s see what ‘Val’ comes up with!

Let’s suppose I want to start something. I have a few ideas. I want to validate if I’m on the right track — and spend $0 doing it.

From this point forward, let’s assume this:

• You collect sneakers

• You are having a hard time finding storage and display solutions for your sneakers

• You assume others have this same issue

• You want to determine if there’s a business opportunity there
  

➡️ I would do this:

1️⃣ 
Go to Google’s Keyword Planner: Google Keyword Planner
Here you can see the volume of searches people input into Google for keywords and phrases.


Ok, we’re on the Keyword Planner and we can type in keywords into the box to see the Google search volume for that keyword or phrase.
Let’s try: “sneaker storage”

When we search this phrase, Google will show us other similar search terms and the number of times per month they are searched on Google’s search engine. Super helpful info!

These searches show people are actively looking for a solution to their sneaker storage problem. Our intuition was correct. People are searching “shoe box storage” a lot, for example! But that’s only part of the puzzle.

Has anyone else thought to solve this? Well, Google also shows if a lot of advertisers are competing for clicks and views for each keyword.

Ok. Hmm. It seems there is a HIGH level of competition from other companies who are trying to reach buyers with these keywords. We can always get creative and find other search terms, but this is a good first step.

We’ve already learned:

• Other people are having sneaker storage problems.

• There are over 100,000 people per month that type in some combination of words into Google that have to do with my problem. (see below)

• Competition seems high. It might be a crowded space. I’ll need to dive into the competition to see what they offer.

• It seems advertisers are paying around $1 per click to reach these buyers. That’s not very high. There might be reasons why buyers aren’t converting or this might be a low margin business. We can research more later.

2️⃣ 
Now that we’ve determined there is suitable demand for this. Let’s head to social media to start talking to real people.

I would do the following:

• Head to Facebook Groups or Reddit and search for “sneaker collectors” or something similar.

• I would start a thread about your frustrations with sneaker storage. Write a title that will catch attention and spark the conversation.

• Ask people how they are solving the problem now. You’ll hear about people that aren’t solving it, people that have crafted homemade solutions and people that went to the market and bought something. ALL are important to you.

• Determine why these existing solutions fall short. You’ll have to engage the audience and ask. What’s wrong with existing solutions? 

• From this process, you will have:
  A: Determined that everyone is completely satisfied with existing solutions
  or
  B: Found a few reasons why existing solutions aren’t getting it done.
  And you’ll be hearing this from the ideal target customer.

Search the top of reddit for groups that match your topic. From this image below, I think the target customers are probably in /sneakermarket and /sneakers. Huge audiences.

3️⃣ 
Go to the drawing board and list the reasons why existing solutions aren’t working. List the competition and where they excel. Are the existing players in the market NOT solving the issues your social media group expressed?

Come up with 2 or 3 ways to solve the main issue people seem to have. Make sure your solution exactly solves the problem people expressed.

4️⃣ 
Go to Google Forms here: Google Forms

Create a simple, and free landing page that tells the following:

• Who you are

• The problem you have uncovered

• The issue with existing solutions

• Your solution and why it’s better

Then, put a call to action at the bottom.
Ask for feedback + their email address so you can continue the talk and reach them when your solution is ready.

You can see an example of mine, below. I did this exact same thing.

5️⃣ 
Then go back to the social media groups. Tell them you are working on a solution to the problem you discussed and post the link to the Google form. Tell them you’d love their feedback and that you think you’ve found the solution that solves current frustrations.  

I asked a bitcoin group if they are interested in other types of collectibles. I wanted to find out if they would collect sports memorabilia, in digital form.

My Google Form looked like this:

I received 419 replies. That’s 419 potential customers. I gathered email addresses. I also asked them a few questions, so I could learn more.

In the end, I had a solid list of potential customers. Plus, I learned I need to do more research on the price customers would pay — see my results below:

The next steps are up to you!

⏰ In one day you can find out:

• Is anyone else experiencing the same problem as me?

• If so, what volume of people are ACTIVELY seeking a solution to this?

• Where do these people hang out and how can I reach them?

• What do they like and dislike about current solutions?

• What gaps exist in the market?

• Plus, you should gather emails and feedback from future customers.

🤖 Ok, Val. What can you come up with?

Prompt:

⏱️ Since this newsletter is running long, I’m listing the key steps with a very brief summary:

Well, now you’ve heard the game plan from me and our AI. 🤣 

Let’s get started!

Take care!

Aron

PS: Please send this to a friend that wants to create a startup!

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