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Before you commit, pin down the problem itself: what people actually experience and when it happens. Then work out whose problem it is and whether anyone is waiting for what you plan to offer. Five questions will show you where you stand. AI can speed up some of the research, but only customers can tell you how they handle the problem today and why they'd switch.

Try this first

1. Describe what the customer experiences, in plain words, and when it happens.

2. Name whose problem this is, as specifically as you can.

3. Find out how they handle it today and what that costs them.

4. Work out why they would switch, and why now.

5. Check whether you can reach them affordably and whether the numbers work at a realistic sales volume.

How you'll know it's working: you can answer all five questions with evidence, not hope, and you know which one to test next.

Go deeper

• 3 Launch Intelligence Quick Wins: What Smart Founders Do Before They Build Anything

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapters 2, 3 and 5

Compliments and likes cost people nothing, so they tell you very little. Real demand shows up as time, money or a signed commitment.

Try this first

1. Hold three conversations about the problem. Ask when it last happened, how they handle it now, what it costs and who decides.

2. Write one page describing the result you'd deliver, with one clear next step, and show it to a small relevant group.

3. Decide what result counts as a pass before you see the response.

4. Offer a pilot or a pre-sale and see who commits.

How you'll know it's working: someone gives you their time, their money or a commitment, not just encouragement.

Go deeper

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapter 4: Who Actually Buys This?

• The Startup Reality Check Workbook

Start with what you know about your buyer, not with a list of platforms. You'll spend less, and learn more, if you answer a few questions before paying for anything.

Try this first

1. Write down who is most ready to buy and what triggers their decision.

2. List your real competitors, including indirect ones and doing nothing at all.

3. Write a simple message that says who it's for, what problem it solves and what changes.

4. Tell people you already know, then pick one channel where your buyers already spend time.

How you'll know it's working: you can explain why you chose each activity, and real conversations are starting.

Go deeper

• Before You Spend Your First Marketing Dollar, Read This

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapters 12, 13 and 20 (your message, where to show up, and the first 90 days)

First customers usually come from people who already know you, not from strangers finding a polished website. Don't wait until everything is finished to start talking to them.

Try this first

1. Tell former colleagues, customers and acquaintances exactly who you're looking to help.

2. Consider one or two reduced-price pilots in exchange for honest feedback and a testimonial.

3. Before you ask whether it worked, write down what each customer was trying to solve.

4. Check your first ten for five signs: a channel you can repeat, a price that works, the result you promised, someone who came back or referred you, and a customer you can describe precisely.

How you'll know it's working: your first customers aren't all friends, didn't all need a big discount and didn't all come through one network.

Go deeper

• The Startup Reality Check, Chapters 13, 15 and 20

• The Startup Reality Check Workbook

What worked in your home market rarely transfers unchanged. Assuming you already know the buyer is one of the biggest risks in an expansion.

Try this first

1. Confirm who really buys in this market, who signs and what makes them start looking.

2. Map the competition: where they're strong, where they're vulnerable and where you'd be walking into a fortified position.

3. Test your positioning in three to five conversations before you spend on it.

4. Size the part of the market you can actually serve, and look for risks your home market never showed you.

How you'll know it's working: your decisions about channels and messaging rest on what you learned in this market.

Go deeper

• Entering a New Market? Here's the Intelligence You Need Before You Go In

• 3 Launch Intelligence Quick Wins

• The B2B Marketing Reality Check, Chapter 16

Do I need a business plan first?

Test the idea first. A plan is much stronger when it's built on what real customers told you.

Can AI do this research for me?

It can speed up market research. It can't tell you whether real people will change what they do and pay you.

How soon should I start marketing?

Start talking to people now. Save paid marketing until you know who buys and why.