curse of the audience is spot on, you see it so often in game development and devlogs. where often the audience is very supportive and encouraging. The dev then continues building their game and getting wishlists only to see maybe 5% of actual sales. as people we want to support others. we arent generally evil. but this can backfire when trying to find product market fit. Edit: btw rob do seats run out for premium options for micoconf connect? ive been following your work for a while and own a couple of your books and like your no BS approach to things. Your books have value and so do your recommendations. extra edit: too late i applied : )
this is really awesome. I've been looking for good definition of validation. I like the idea that validation is the process of understanding how you'll acquire all future customers. Very well put.
When validating, founders should also analyze the sales cycle length of their SaaS product. Shorter sales cycles can indicate a quicker path to revenue, which is crucial for bootstrapped startups.
We have an entire module on this inside of our new course (www.saaslaunchpad.co). Outside of that, the broader content that Ahrefs puts out on TH-cam is really well done.
Having coded new products before talking to customers, and found low acceptance after months of coding, Rob's method and advice are much more important than any part at the beginning of a new venture. The wasted time and frustration of 'this is such good code, we've created such a great product' then finding out we lack the marketing chops to rescue it - really disheartening. It's emotionally destructive. It's like when your favorite family dog passes. Or your grandmother. If you have deep knowledge of marketing and you create a MASSIVE number of leads, and you can convert a percentage (1%, 2%, 3%) to sales, then MAYBE you can salvage a product that really isn't a "MUST-HAVE" product. But you're far better off NOT BUILDING a product that takes too much effort to sell. The Apple Lisa computer was a dud. The Apple Newton was a horrific failure. Don't do that. What Rob is saying will help you keep sane. Make sure before you start working that people are gonna BUY it. You can run a small ad online, meet people in person, go to a conference attended by people in that industry, etc. "Don't code. Talk first." .
@qutaibabs1 If you haven’t already, check out my recent interview with Snir to see how he approached validation: th-cam.com/video/leQAuJSNKqg/w-d-xo.html
Amazing! Have u ever offered a survey right on the landing page to accomplish what u would in the follow up contact? Some great AI tools out there to mimic interviewing, though of course never as good as contact.
Hey. Thank you so much for your insights. I have been building my MVP now for 3 months, since I love building products. It is exactly what you are saying but I validated far too little. What would you recommend doing now since I already have the MVP?
Thank u so much for this But i have a question, i have a Saas idea which i planned to deliver an MVP in six months but i will not be investing much in it except time and it will help me improve my coding skills cause i already have a job , just want to do it as a side hustle .I also plan to do simple social media marketing on it , How should i go about it?!
@codesus99 Thanks for watching! While building a side project can be great for skill development, I'd encourage you to validate your idea first using the framework I outlined. This way, you can ensure you're investing your time wisely and potentially create something with real market potential.
Couldn't be more timely. I am always thinking of ideas, but lose steam quickly. I recently had an idea since my sister was having a very acute problem as a product marketer (one I also have faced around competitor analysis) We briefly discussed an idea but I realized I was slowing down. I was trying to build it in one platform, then another, or code manually. I realized the reason I'm jumping around: I don't actually know what I'm building. Instead it's worth the time to actually talk to her, and people in our mutual networks to actually validate the idea first.
Hey there! Thanks, I hope you've enjoyed the book! We are adding folks into MicroConf Connect on a rolling basis. We'll reach out as soon as your application is at the top of the list.
I did enjoy the book! My first business was a physical product that was very heavy on VC. We did great things in major retail and with Fortune 500 companies but the debt was often too heavy. I decided to bootstrap my new SaaS company and found you as a resource and am eager to learn more!
Most podcasters have a contact email on their podcast website. You should know that podcasters often get a lot of subpar outreach email, so take time to craft a solid email. Also, I would try to find where pockets of podcasters hang out online (FB groups, reddit, etc) and immerse yourself there to grow your network.
curse of the audience is spot on, you see it so often in game development and devlogs. where often the audience is very supportive and encouraging. The dev then continues building their game and getting wishlists only to see maybe 5% of actual sales. as people we want to support others. we arent generally evil. but this can backfire when trying to find product market fit.
Edit: btw rob do seats run out for premium options for micoconf connect? ive been following your work for a while and own a couple of your books and like your no BS approach to things. Your books have value and so do your recommendations.
extra edit: too late i applied : )
Definitely a video I will be coming back to. Thank you for compiling all the details into a single piece.
Happy to be of help 🙂
Rob I have to tell you, you are doing God's work.. Thank you.
Thank you! Appreciate you watching :)
this is really awesome. I've been looking for good definition of validation.
I like the idea that validation is the process of understanding how you'll acquire all future customers.
Very well put.
Glad it was helpful!
Incredible content! And I loved the book recommendations at the end. Keep the recommendations coming!
Glad you like them!
When validating, founders should also analyze the sales cycle length of their SaaS product. Shorter sales cycles can indicate a quicker path to revenue, which is crucial for bootstrapped startups.
Thanks for clear details and valuable action points. Glad I found your content.
2 hours: 5P.M. framework and SEO research
20 hours: conversations and/or building landing pages
200 hours: building MVP
Really good stuff!!
Thanks for the content Robin!
Thank you!
Great video as always
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching
Any good resources to learn keyword research for validation?
We have an entire module on this inside of our new course (www.saaslaunchpad.co). Outside of that, the broader content that Ahrefs puts out on TH-cam is really well done.
Having coded new products before talking to customers, and found low acceptance after months of coding, Rob's method and advice are much more important than any part at the beginning of a new venture.
The wasted time and frustration of 'this is such good code, we've created such a great product' then finding out we lack the marketing chops to rescue it - really disheartening. It's emotionally destructive. It's like when your favorite family dog passes. Or your grandmother.
If you have deep knowledge of marketing and you create a MASSIVE number of leads, and you can convert a percentage (1%, 2%, 3%) to sales, then MAYBE you can salvage a product that really isn't a "MUST-HAVE" product.
But you're far better off NOT BUILDING a product that takes too much effort to sell. The Apple Lisa computer was a dud.
The Apple Newton was a horrific failure. Don't do that. What Rob is saying will help you keep sane. Make sure before you start working that people are gonna BUY it. You can run a small ad online, meet people in person, go to a conference attended by people in that industry, etc.
"Don't code. Talk first."
.
Thank you for the support!!!
Rob you should show us a to implementation this
@qutaibabs1 If you haven’t already, check out my recent interview with Snir to see how he approached validation: th-cam.com/video/leQAuJSNKqg/w-d-xo.html
@ we need to see practical hand-on by sharing your screen. not just talking.
Amazing! Have u ever offered a survey right on the landing page to accomplish what u would in the follow up contact? Some great AI tools out there to mimic interviewing, though of course never as good as contact.
I haven’t. In this early stage, I’d always prefer to have as many real conversations with potential users as possible.
Hey. Thank you so much for your insights. I have been building my MVP now for 3 months, since I love building products. It is exactly what you are saying but I validated far too little. What would you recommend doing now since I already have the MVP?
Thank u so much for this
But i have a question, i have a Saas idea which i planned to deliver an MVP in six months but i will not be investing much in it except time and it will help me improve my coding skills cause i already have a job , just want to do it as a side hustle .I also plan to do simple social media marketing on it ,
How should i go about it?!
@codesus99 Thanks for watching! While building a side project can be great for skill development, I'd encourage you to validate your idea first using the framework I outlined. This way, you can ensure you're investing your time wisely and potentially create something with real market potential.
Can you do a video about your fiancial models, ie how much to reinvest, how much to pay staff, how to take money out of the business
Can you do a Video about your 5PM validation strategy?
Not a video but he mentions he talks about the framework at episode 628. It is mentioned at 5:20 mark of this video.
What do you use for keyword research? Trends? Similarweb? Ahref?
I’d start with Ahrefs.
Couldn't be more timely. I am always thinking of ideas, but lose steam quickly. I recently had an idea since my sister was having a very acute problem as a product marketer (one I also have faced around competitor analysis) We briefly discussed an idea but I realized I was slowing down. I was trying to build it in one platform, then another, or code manually. I realized the reason I'm jumping around: I don't actually know what I'm building. Instead it's worth the time to actually talk to her, and people in our mutual networks to actually validate the idea first.
Do the first customers pay? Or free?
It depends. Sometimes they are willing to pay based on what you’ve built. Other times, you may want to offer a limited discount to those early users.
@@MicroConf Thanks!
Thank you so much! You just unblocked me after a long week of analysis and research.
@mmarvin94 That's awesome to hear, glad I could help. Validation is a crucial step, and you're on the right track.
Currently, do you invest early stage SaaS companies which has enough MRR?
I do invest in B2B SaaS companies through my accelerator, TinySeed. You can find more at tinyseed.com/.
Thanks a lot
Most welcome
Hi Rob, I bought your book and signed up for MicroConf but haven’t heard anything for over a month.
Hey there! Thanks, I hope you've enjoyed the book! We are adding folks into MicroConf Connect on a rolling basis. We'll reach out as soon as your application is at the top of the list.
I did enjoy the book! My first business was a physical product that was very heavy on VC. We did great things in major retail and with Fortune 500 companies but the debt was often too heavy. I decided to bootstrap my new SaaS company and found you as a resource and am eager to learn more!
How can I target podcasters? People with their own podcast? All the ad experts are telling me it's not possible. Should I just mail a bulk of them?
yes just reach out to them and start with smaller ones
Most podcasters have a contact email on their podcast website. You should know that podcasters often get a lot of subpar outreach email, so take time to craft a solid email. Also, I would try to find where pockets of podcasters hang out online (FB groups, reddit, etc) and immerse yourself there to grow your network.
I love your content, very appreciative. I'd love to give some constructive criticism, but unless it's asked for, I won't.