The 7-day plan to validate your idea

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Most of you have thought about launching a product.

Problem is that building is the predictable part (not easy, but it’s a certainty).

Selling is unpredictable.

So naturally, you have two big fears at two different stages:

1. Stage 1 | Haven’t started yet
   What if I spend 2 months building the MVP (or $30K), but no one really cares about the product?

2. Stage 2 | Started but can’t sell
   I have a product, but how do I get users?

If you’ve the above fears, I’ll share how I personally go through these stages.

I’ve done so for 4 products now (all of them have made at least $1000 in revenue by now). 5th and 6th are also coming in Feb, 2026.

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Stage 1: Validate Before You Build

The fastest way to validate if your idea has legs: sell it as a service before you build the product.

Example:

- Your product idea: SEO article writer at $99/month for 30 articles

- Validation approach: Offer to write articles manually as a service for $99/month retainer

- Reach out to people

- Goal: Get at least 10 positive responses

If 10-20% respond positively = you have something worth building.

If you can't sell the service version = don't build the product. 

Work on your marketing/sales muscle first.

Because 3 months from now, you'll have a great product but still won't know how to sell it. That's the real problem.

You need to go top-down: Figure out the market and what it needs, then build the technology. Not the other way around.

I have so far not made this mistake thankfully. But the second phase is where I’ve been wrong in the past ⬇️ 

Stage 2: Get Your First 100 Users

You have a product (MVP, MMP, MSP - whichever level). Now, you want 100 users (not necessarily paid) to try it, so you can see if the product actually delivers value.

Find 3-10 communities where your ICP hangs out:

- Reddit (specific subreddits)

- Facebook groups

- Quora

- Forums (Google search your keywords + "forum")

- LinkedIn DMs (use Sales Navigator)

Then post there, comment there, answer questions there - drop DMs to people in there.

Basically use targeted outreach, and strictly avoid random posting on your LinkedIn or facebook profile.

I have made this mistake ^.

Here’s why it’s a mistake:

- Friends will sign up to be nice → useless feedback

- Strangers who pay/sign up → real validation

Your first 100 users should be strangers who actually need what you built.

I made this mistake with ligosocial.com; got 200 users from my Linkedin network in the first 2 weeks through 2-4 posts that got 500-1000 engagements.

But those users weren’t really my “ICP” - they were “trying” the product because “Junaid” made it. Nice gesture, good intentions → completely useless for the product itself. You don’t want that noise in your analytics or to give you a fake sense of “successful product launch”.

I did not repeat that mistake for the other 3 products. Most of the people on my Linkedin network that aren’t an ICP for those products, have never heard of them - and they never will.

tl;dr: 

Stage 1: Sell your idea as a service before building the product. Reach out to 100+ qualified people, if 10-20 respond positively, you have something.

Stage 2: Find 3-10 communities where your ICP hangs out. Use targeted DMs to strangers (not random posts to friends). First 100 users should validate your messaging works.

Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:

1. Hooked on LinkedIn Newsletter

If you're a founder or solo operator using LinkedIn for business acquisition, I run another newsletter called "Hooked on LinkedIn." Practical strategies for LinkedIn growth without using engaging pods.

2. LigoSocial.com 

Get your LinkedIn second brain in 3 minutes.

Gets better continuously by learning more about you.

3. What I'm Building Next

I’m currently working on Brutepost - a platform that handles content distribution across all social media in one place. Built on the same engine behind LiGoSocial that captures brand voice and authenticity. Still in development, but if this sounds interesting, stay tuned.

Cheers,

Junaid

PS: If you can't convince strangers to try your solution (service or product), the problem isn't your product - it's your ability to sell it.