6-Hour Startup Validator

Inspired by Josh Pigford's 7-day journey: saw opportunity → built → got paying customers → sold for $15,000.

This skill evaluates any startup idea against two brutal criteria:

1. Monetizable Fast - Can you reach paying customers on day 1?
2. Buildable Fast - Can you plan (2h), build (2h), deploy (2h)?

What I Need From You

Tell me your startup idea. Be specific about:

• What problem does it solve?
• Who has this problem?
• How would you charge for it?

Example: "A tool that checks domain name availability across multiple TLDs and suggests alternatives when your preferred name is taken. Target: indie hackers and startup founders. Pricing: $5/month or $29 lifetime."

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Step 1: Understand The Idea

Instructions: First, I'll make sure I understand your idea completely.

I'll confirm:

• The core value proposition (what pain does this solve?)
• The target customer (who pays?)
• The monetization model (how do they pay?)
• The scope (what's the MVP feature set?)

If anything is unclear, I'll ask clarifying questions before proceeding.

Output: Clear problem statement and MVP scope definition.

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Step 2: Audience Reachability Analysis

Instructions: I'll research where your target customers hang out and how easy it is to reach them.

Using REDDIT_SEARCH_POSTS, I'll search Reddit for:

• Active subreddits discussing this problem (r/startups, r/SaaS, r/[niche])
• Pain points people are expressing
• Existing solutions being discussed

Using xai_x_search, I'll search X/Twitter for:

• Influential accounts in this space
• Recent discussions about this problem
• Hashtags and communities

Using tavily_search, I'll investigate:

• Existing communities - Slack groups, Discord servers, forums, newsletters
• Product Hunt viability - Would this category perform well on PH?
• Competitor distribution - How do similar products acquire users?

Scoring Criteria (Audience Reach): | Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 9-10 | Multiple active communities (10k+ members), clear influencers, proven PH category | | 7-8 | Some active communities, moderate engagement, some influencers | | 5-6 | Niche communities exist but small, distribution unclear | | 3-4 | Hard to find communities, scattered audience | | 1-2 | No obvious community, would need paid acquisition from day 1 |

Output: Audience reach score (1-10) with specific communities and distribution channels identified.

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Step 3: Day-1 Revenue Potential

Instructions: I'll assess whether you can charge money on day 1.

Using exa_search and exa_find_similar, I'll research:

• Willingness to pay signals - Are people complaining about paying for alternatives? Asking for solutions?
• Existing pricing models - What do competitors charge? Is there price anchoring?
• Similar products - Find products solving adjacent problems to understand pricing

Using tavily_search, I'll investigate:

• Payment friction - Can you use Stripe/Gumroad/LemonSqueezy easily?
• Value clarity - Is the ROI obvious and immediate?

Scoring Criteria (Monetization Speed): | Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 9-10 | People actively asking to pay, clear pricing comparables, immediate ROI | | 7-8 | Competitors prove willingness to pay, value prop is clear | | 5-6 | Some paid alternatives exist, value needs explanation | | 3-4 | Mostly free alternatives, unclear if people will pay | | 1-2 | No evidence of willingness to pay, would need heavy convincing |

Output: Monetization speed score (1-10) with pricing recommendation and payment setup.

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Step 4: Technical Buildability Assessment

Instructions: Using think for extended reasoning, I'll evaluate if this can be built in 6 hours.

2-Hour Planning Checklist:

• [ ] Can the core feature be described in one sentence?
• [ ] Are there existing APIs/services that do the heavy lifting?
• [ ] Is the data model simple (< 5 tables)?
• [ ] Can auth be handled by Clerk/Auth0/Supabase?

2-Hour Building Checklist:

• [ ] Can it be built with a single framework (Next.js, Rails, etc.)?
• [ ] No complex integrations required?
• [ ] No ML/AI training needed (using existing APIs is fine)?
• [ ] Single user flow (not multi-tenant complexity)?

2-Hour Deployment Checklist:

• [ ] Deployable to Vercel/Railway/Render with one command?
• [ ] No complex infrastructure (no Kubernetes, no self-hosted DBs)?
• [ ] Payment integration is drop-in (Stripe Checkout, LemonSqueezy)?
• [ ] Domain + SSL handled by platform?

Scoring Criteria (Buildability): | Score | Criteria | |-------|----------| | 9-10 | All checklists pass, could be a weekend project | | 7-8 | Minor complexity, might take a full day | | 5-6 | Some technical challenges, 2-3 day project | | 3-4 | Significant complexity, week+ project | | 1-2 | Major technical hurdles, needs team/funding |

Output: Buildability score (1-10) with specific technical recommendations.

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Step 5: Competitive Landscape Quick Scan

Instructions: I'll do a rapid competitive analysis.

Using exa_find_similar and exa_search, I'll find:

• Direct competitors - Who does exactly this?
• Adjacent solutions - What do people use today?

Using exa_search_news, I'll check:

• Recent launches - Any new competitors in the last 6 months?
• Funding news - Is this space getting hot?

Using web_scrape on competitor sites, I'll identify:

• Gaps - What are competitors missing?
• Differentiation opportunity - Can you be 10x better at one thing?

Key Question: Is this a "better mousetrap" (hard) or "mousetrap for left-handed people" (easier)?

Output: Competitive summary with differentiation angle.

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Step 6: GO/NO-GO Verdict

Instructions: I'll synthesize all findings into a final verdict.

Scoring Summary:

• Audience Reach: X/10
• Monetization Speed: X/10
• Buildability: X/10
• Overall Score: X/30

Verdict Thresholds: | Score | Verdict | |-------|---------| | 24-30 | STRONG GO - Ship this weekend | | 18-23 | GO - Worth building, minor concerns | | 12-17 | CONDITIONAL GO - Needs adjustments (I'll specify) | | 6-11 | NO-GO - Too risky for 6-hour approach | | 0-5 | HARD NO - Fundamental issues |

Output: Final verdict with:

1. Overall recommendation
2. Top 3 risks to watch
3. Exact next 3 steps if GO
4. Alternative pivot if NO-GO

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Step 7: Your 6-Hour Action Plan

Instructions: If verdict is GO, I'll create your specific action plan.

Hour 0-2: Planning

• Exact tech stack to use
• Database schema (if needed)
• API integrations list
• Landing page copy outline

Hour 2-4: Building

• Core feature implementation steps
• What to skip (scope cuts)
• Where to use templates/boilerplates

Hour 4-6: Deploying

• Deployment platform + steps
• Payment setup
• Launch post templates (Twitter, Reddit, PH)

Output: Detailed 6-hour execution plan with specific tools and templates.

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Notes

• This skill prioritizes speed over perfection
• A "NO-GO" doesn't mean bad idea - it means not suitable for 6-hour approach
• Best used for micro-SaaS, tools, and simple products
• Not suitable for: marketplace businesses, hardware, enterprise sales