aka "The Bullshit Police"
You have an idea. You think people want to buy your widget or service. That's nice.
Now you need to answer one question: Is your idea bullshit?
Don't build a website. Don't print business cards. Don't hire a guru. A business only happens when you exchange something for money. This plan tests that exchange as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Checkpoint One: The Interest Test
Goal: Determine if people are genuinely interested in your Offer. Not your friends. Not your mum. Real, unbiased strangers.
The Test: The $50 Ad Test
- Traffic: 2,000 people. Buy a small, targeted audience on a platform like Facebook or Instagram.
- Offer: A simple post. A headline. A "coming soon" image. A description of the benefit you provide. Nothing fancy.
- Action: Ask for a tiny commitment. "Sign up for the waitlist." "Click to learn more." "Drop your email."
The Result:
If you show your Offer to 2,000 people and no one cares — no clicks, no signups, no engagement — you don't have a Traffic problem. You have an Offer problem. Your promise isn't compelling enough to earn even a moment of attention.
Do not proceed until you can get strangers to show interest.
This doesn't mean your business idea is dead. It means your current Offer — the way you're presenting the value — isn't resonating. Go back to Mastering Your Offer, rethink the promise, and test again. Change the headline. Change the framing. Connect to a different Core Human Driver. Test until something clicks.
Checkpoint Two: The Sales Test
Goal: See if a real human will actually give you money for your Offer.
The Test: Talk to people.
You've proven interest. Now get those interested people on a Zoom call, a phone call, or in a room.
- Ask them what they're struggling with.
- Listen. Actually listen.
- Offer your solution. Explain how it solves their specific problem.
- Explain how much it costs.
- Ask for the sale: "Is solving that problem worth [your price] to you?"
The Result:
If you can't get one person to buy, you don't have a business. You have a hobby.
This is where you learn from history — sales is the oldest profession. The ability to look someone in the eye (or over a screen) and exchange value for money is the most fundamental test of a business idea.
If you can sell it to one person, congratulations. You have proof of concept. You know your Offer solves a real problem that someone will pay to fix. Now you need to know if the economics work.
Checkpoint Three: The Math Test
Goal: Determine if your business can be viable and profitable.
The Test: Do the maths.
You've proven interest (Checkpoint 1) and you've made a sale (Checkpoint 2). Now answer:
- What does it cost to get one customer? Add up everything: ad spend, your time, tools, materials. This is your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).
- What does one customer pay you? Not just the first transaction — the total value over their relationship with you. This is your Lifetime Value (LTV).
- Is LTV meaningfully higher than CAC? If it costs you $200 to acquire a customer who generates $600 over time, you have a 3:1 ratio. That's a viable business. If it costs $200 to acquire a customer worth $250, you have a problem.
The Result:
If the maths works, you have a validated business. Not an idea. Not a hope. A tested, proven model where you know: people are interested, people will buy, and the economics sustain growth.
If the maths doesn't work, you have three options: reduce acquisition cost (better Traffic targeting), increase the price or value of your Offer, or increase customer retention. These are specific, diagnosable problems — not vague "marketing isn't working" frustrations.
Why This Matters
The 3-Checkpoint Plan exists because most businesses skip validation entirely. They go from "I have an idea" to "I've spent $50,000 on a website, inventory, and a marketing agency" without ever testing whether anyone would pay.
That's not business. That's gambling. Expensive gambling.
Each checkpoint costs almost nothing — a $50 ad test, a few conversations, a spreadsheet. But the information they provide is worth thousands in avoided waste.
This is Validation at its most practical. First principles thinking applied to the most basic question: is this bullshit, or is this real?
What Comes After Validation
Once you've passed all three checkpoints, you have a validated Traffic + Offer equation. Now you can invest with confidence:
→ Pull the Traffic Lever — scale up with paid or organic → Decode Your Traffic — find more of the right people → Build Organic Authority — create a long-term engine → Back to the equation — Traffic + Offer = Results