I watch entrepreneurs kill great ideas with kindness every day.

They spend weeks polishing concepts, then fish for compliments instead of truth. By the time they show anyone, they're emotionally invested and hearing what they want to hear.

The fatal mistake? Asking for praise instead of proof.

The Two-Stage Validation Framework

Most people think validation is binary. You either test or you don't.

Wrong. Smart validation happens in stages, with different questions unlocking different truths.

Stage 1: Exploration

Ask: "Would this be useful to you?"

You're testing relevance. Does the idea even land?

Look for people saying "yes, I'd want that" or asking follow-up questions. You're not pitching yet. You're confirming the idea resonates at all.

Stage 2: Commitment

Ask: "Would you buy this today?"

You're testing commitment. Will they actually pay?

Anything less than action is noise. Interest doesn't pay bills.

When to Graduate Your Questions

The mistake is staying stuck at "Would this be useful?" forever because it feels safer.

Graduate when answers stop surprising you. When people lean forward unprompted asking "When can I get this?" or "How much?"

When you can prototype something tangible in under 48 hours.

A landing page with a button. A payment link for pre-orders. Even a Google Doc mockup.

The second you can show anything concrete, usefulness questions are behind you.

Reading the Signal

Here's how I interpret 10 People Test results:

1 out of 10 = interesting, maybe niche
3 out of 10 = clear demand signal
5+ out of 10 = green light to build

But what about 2 out of 10?

You're looking at a fork in the road, not failure. If those 2 responses are high-quality fits, refine the offer and test another 10.

If they're weak or edge cases, park it and move on.

Even weak signal tells you whether to tweak, test again, or let go. That clarity beats another month polishing in private.

The Real Test

The 10 People Test works because it forces you to graduate from "I think" to "the market told me."

Stop asking friends and family who say "that's cool" but aren't buyers.

Start measuring behavior over praise. Sign-ups over compliments. Action over interest.

The market only validates with action. Everything else is just noise.