Business idea validator — stress-test your idea before you invest time and money

Paste into ChatGPT or Claude:

'I have a business idea and I need you to stress-test it honestly — not encourage me, not discourage me, but think clearly about whether it makes business sense.

My idea: [DESCRIBE YOUR IDEA IN 2-3 SENTENCES]
Target customer: [WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BUY THIS]
Planned price: [WHAT YOU PLAN TO CHARGE]
How I plan to reach customers: [YOUR CURRENT PLAN, OR "I DON'T KNOW YET"]

Give me an honest validation on each of:

1. DEMAND CHECK — Do people actually want this?
   - Is there evidence people are already searching for or paying for this? (What would I Google to check?)
   - Is this a problem people want solved badly enough to pay for it, or a nice-to-have?
   - Red flag if: the idea solves a problem only you have.

2. COMPETITION CHECK — Can I compete?
   - Who already does this? Name specific competitors, not just "there are many options."
   - Is the market crowded with well-funded players, or fragmented with amateurs where quality would stand out?
   - My honest edge: what would I do better or differently than what already exists?

3. PRICING AND MATH CHECK — Does the money make sense?
   - At my planned price of [PRICE], how many sales per month to earn [TARGET INCOME]?
   - Is that number achievable with realistic effort?
   - What are my costs (time, materials, tools, platforms) per sale? What is my actual profit margin?

4. THE FIRST CUSTOMER TEST — Can I find one paying customer this week?
   - Describe exactly where my first 3 paying customers are, what they type into Google, and how I would find them without spending money on ads.
   - If I cannot describe a specific person and a specific place to find them, the idea isn't ready.

5. HONEST VERDICT:
   - Green / Yellow / Red — and the one specific thing that would change your assessment.
   - The most common mistake someone with this exact idea makes in the first 6 months.'

Tip: after validation, say 'what would make this a Green?' — the answer tells you exactly what to build or test first.