The SaaS Validation Checklist

What you'll learn

This checklist distills everything I've learned from building (and sometimes failing at) SaaS products into a single, actionable framework. It's the process I wish I had when I started.

Problem validation — how to confirm real people have the problem you're solving
Market sizing — quick methods to estimate if the market is worth pursuing
Competitor analysis — what to look for (and what to ignore)
Willingness to pay — techniques to test if people will actually pay
MVP scoping — how to define the smallest thing that proves your thesis
Launch strategy — where to find your first 10 customers

Who is this for?

This checklist is for indie founders, solo developers, and small teams who want to stop building things nobody wants. If you've ever spent months on a project only to hear crickets at launch, this is for you.

Sample: Step 1 — Problem Interview

Before you write a single line of code, talk to at least 5 people who have the problem you're trying to solve. Not friends. Not family. Real potential customers.

Questions to ask:

Tell me about the last time you experienced [problem]. What happened?
What did you do to solve it? What tools did you try?
What's the most frustrating part of your current solution?
If you could wave a magic wand, what would the ideal solution look like?
How much time/money do you spend on this problem today?

Red flags to watch for:

"That sounds cool" (politeness, not validation)
"I'd definitely use that" (hypothetical, not commitment)
"My friend would love this" (deflection)

Green flags:

They describe the problem without prompting
They've already tried multiple solutions
They can quantify the cost of the problem
They ask when your solution will be ready

This is a preview. Subscribe below to get the full 12-step checklist with templates, scripts, and real examples from my own projects.