How to Validate a SaaS Idea Before Building It

Talk to the people who'd actually pay for it before building anything — not people who'd "find it interesting," people with the specific problem and budget to solve it.

Look for evidence they're already solving this problem badly today — a spreadsheet, a manual process, a workaround. That's a stronger signal than general enthusiasm.

Build the smallest possible version that tests the core assumption, not the full feature list you have in mind — most SaaS ideas fail on the core assumption, not on missing features.

Be willing to charge early, even a small amount. Willingness to pay is a far more honest signal than a sign-up on a landing page.