So you have an idea. Awesome! You are thinking about turning that idea into a business. Also, awesome! Where should you start? 

The best place to start is by validating your idea. The last thing you want to do is put your hardearned money and countless hours of your time into something that turns out to not have potential. So how do we see if something has potential? 


Here are 4 ways to help Validate your business idea.

1. Google trends 
Using Google Trends is a great way to gauge growing markets. You may suspect that there is a growing interest in whatever your idea is, but Google trends can confirm it. You can search for industry terms or related products and see how popular it has been over the course of the last 15 years. If there is a growing number of people searching for related topics to your idea, then you might just be onto something.

2. Kickstarter
Kickstarter is a great way to validate your Business Idea. This allows people to support you in the process of turning your idea into reality. People can buy your product before you actually manufacture it.  If enough people preorder your product this not only gives validation, it also gives startup funding to help make the idea happen. 
 
3. Create a Prototype
Before you manufacture anything is mass you are going to need to create a prototype. A prototype will help you work out some of the features of a product. It will also allow you to take it around to stores and see if stores are interested in carrying it on their shelves. You could even use a prototype for product shots or to take it to trade shows.

4. Collect Email Addresses
You can create inexpensive landing pages to gather the email of interested people. You can create an email capture form with various website templates such as Squarespace, Shopify, Wordpress or Wix. You should tell people that if they want to stay updated on the development of your idea to sign up with their email. You can reach people who are potentially interested through advertising. A couple of advertising options would be Facebook or Instagram Ads.


Using these methods is a great way to validate your idea. You can even use a combination of more than one. You might start with Google Trends, then make a Prototype to use as part of your Kickstarter Campaign. Or maybe you collect email addresses and let them know when your Kickstarter Campaign begins. Whatever you choose to do it’s best to come up with a plan to try to validate your idea before you invest too much time and money. It might help you trouble shoot your product or give you insight on how to pivot your idea to make it more viable. In the long run it will most likely be worth it to explore some possibilities before deciding to go all in.

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