Q-01Starting
Will my business idea work?
How to find out cheaply, before you buy stock or sign a lease.
Nobody can tell you from the idea alone. What you can find out, cheaply and within two weeks, is whether people near you have the need, what they do about it today, and what they would pay. Do that before you buy stock or sign a lease.
4 things to look at
- Need. Enough people have the problem, often enough.
- Alternatives. What they use today, including doing nothing at all.
- Price. What they will pay is more than what it costs you.
- Reach. You can get the offer in front of them at a cost you can afford.
Checks you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time. Do them in order. If they answer the question, you do not need us.
Write the idea in one sentence
Who buys it, what they get, and why they would buy it from you. If you cannot write that sentence yet, the idea is not ready to test.
Talk to 15 people who could be customers
Not friends and not family. Ask about the last time they had the need and what they paid. Do not ask “would you buy this?”, because people say yes to be polite. Use the customer interview sheet.
Visit five competitors as a customer
Write down what they sell, what they charge, when they are open, how long you waited and what was missing.
Cost one unit
Add up everything that goes into one sale, including transport and your own time. The costing sheet walks you through it.
Sell a few before you build anything
Take five orders, or run it for one day at a market or through your WhatsApp status. A small real sale tells you more than a large opinion.
- You are about to commit more money than you can afford to lose.
- The 15 conversations gave answers that point in different directions.
- You are too close to the idea to hear a “no”.
- A lender or funder has asked for evidence of demand.
Customer and Competitor Study
Find out whether people will pay before you buy stock, sign a lease or build a website.
From N$1,499
Related questions people ask
Is a good idea enough?
No. An idea is only worth something to a business when someone is willing to pay for it. That is what the 15 conversations are for.
What if someone steals my idea while I am asking people?
It is a smaller risk than building something nobody wants. You are asking people about their own problems and what they pay today. You do not have to describe your plan.
Related questions
Tell us what you are trying to decide.
You do not need a business plan to talk to us. Say what the business is, what you want from it and what is in the way. A Business Check-up costs N$199 and comes off any other service you book within 30 days.