Most entrepreneurs spend 6 to 12 months developing products or selling services that no one wants. They spend thousands on website design and branding, but when they launch, no one shows up. The problem isn’t the quality of their services or their output. It’s that they built upon an idea before ensuring the market wanted it.
The good news is that you can find out if your business idea will work in just seven days, and you don’t even have to write any code or hire a designer. Smart business owners use a Smoke Test to lower the risk of new ventures before the launch. A smoke test is not extra work; it’s your safety net.
Day 1–2: Write a One-Sentence Description of Your Offer
The market won’t understand your offer if you can’t explain it simply. Use this structure to write a single, clear sentence for the first two days:
I assist [specific who] in [specific what] to achieve [specific result].
Not “I help business owners get more done.” “That doesn’t say much. Instead, say, “I help solo founders automate their client onboarding so they can close 10 more deals a month without hiring more people.”
What makes your offer different? Specificity. If you can’t get this sentence right, your idea isn’t ready to be tested. Keep working on it until a stranger can repeat it correctly.
Days 3 and 4: Talk to 10 Real Prospects
Many founders skip this essential step, and it costs them dearly. Talk to 10 people who are like your target market before you start building anything. Not friends. Not relatives. Real people who have the problem you’re trying to solve.
Ask them about their problem, not your solution. For instance, ask them What about [their current situation] is making them mad? What have they tried? Has X worked? What could make this issue go away? What tool could make their life easier?
The Anti-Pitch Guardrail: If you must convince them that your idea is good, you’ve already lost points. Your job is to listen, not sell. As soon as you start pitching, they’ll tell you what you want to hear instead of what they really need.
Listen to how bad the pain is. Your idea might not be important enough to sell if they are passively accepting the problem.
Day 5 and 6: Make a Simple Validation Page and Graphics and Find Leads
You’re now ready to test your idea.
Next, you’ll create a one-page landing page that explains your offer. This high-converting page will use information gathered on Days 3 and 4 to test interest in the actual idea.
This site isn’t meant to be a whole website; it’s a test page with three essential sections:
- A clear headline that talks about the issue.
- A list of the benefits of what you’re selling, not the features.
- A call to action, like “sign up for early access,” “join the waitlist,” or “schedule a call.”
Then create graphics in Canva to promote your landing page. Use straightforward, attractive visuals that easily convey your message.
- The problem your audience is already frustrated with
- The outcome they want, not how it works
- One clear action, such as “Join the waitlist” or “Get early access.”
You don’t need to be perfect. Good enough works perfectly. These graphics are intended solely to gauge interest. They don’t need to win design awards. Having one strong headline graphic and one professional enough looking visual is enough to drive traffic and collect data, especially if the market is hungry for the offer.
If you want professional, on-brand graphics without spending hours in Canva or thousands of dollars, visit Graphic Launcher. They’ll create clean, high-converting visuals quickly and affordably. Their design team is a master at creating high-converting graphics quickly, enabling you to stay focused on validating your idea rather than getting frustrated with design.
Check your budget:
To make sure your data is statistically significant, you’ll probably need to spend between $50 and $150 on a basic landing page tool (like Carrd or Unbounce). Plan to spend around $30 on Facebook ads to drive initial traffic and gauge real interest.
Either way, developing a landing page is much cheaper than building a full website. Consider this: spend your price of entry into the market—small, controlled, and intentional.
And if you don’t want to do any of this alone, hire Offer Launcher. They’ll run the smoke test for you by:
- Identifying keywords
- Building the landing page
- Helping you create and launch the ad
Visit them when you want validation without the overwhelm.
Next, find 100 to 200 qualified leads in 48 hours:
- LinkedIn: Join groups that are related to your field or send personalized connection requests.
- Reddit: Look for subreddits where your potential customers hang out (but read the rules first—no spam).
- Slack and Discord: Communities specific to your field are often happy to help people seeking real solutions.
- Your Network: Ask people who know people who fit your target profile to introduce you.
Day 7: Look at the data and make a choice.
Check out your results. Did people sign up? What is the rate? What did they ask?
- Green lights: a conversion rate of 10% or more. For every 100 people who visit the page, 10 must be interested. Interest could include them asking questions about the offer, pricing, or simply, “When can I get this?” If any of these happen, you’re on the right track. Time to build. Or extend the offer to include more data.
- Red flags include low engagement, lack of understanding of the offer, or traffic that doesn’t translate into sales.
If you spot a Red Flag, take a moment to read the feedback before deleting the page entirely. This helps ensure you make a thoughtful, informed decision. The market might be right, but your message could be a little off. Simply altering the way you talk about the “result” could transform a red light into a green.
If it’s a red flag, you’ve just avoided months of potential issues. Change your approach, target a different group, or scrap the idea altogether. Let’s be honest: letting go of an idea can be tough on the ego. However, it’s actually a remarkable superpower. You’re gaining insights and growing faster than 99% of founders who stubbornly refuse to pause their building process.
Stop Betting. Begin Validating.
Starting a business shouldn’t feel like a big gamble. When you check first, growth becomes certain instead of hopeful.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by these steps, or do you need expert help? Launchevity can help you build. Graphic Launcher can help with graphics and Offer Launcher can help you test your offer.
We’ve helped hundreds of business owners run real, live smoke tests before the build, so you can get validation without having to do it alone.
Let’s get you online today. No more building and hoping for the best. Build with purpose. Build to win.
