Have you ever had a great idea, only to wonder if anyone would actually pay for it
You’re excited, maybe even convinced it’s the next big thing. But how do you know if it’s worth pursuing before spending thousands of dollars? Most founders dive into building without knowing the answer – and that’s why 90% of startups fail. Before you invest thousands into development, let’s validate your idea using AI – fast and for free.
In $100M Offers, Alex Hormozi states: “The degree of the pain will be proportional to the price you will be able to charge.” The stronger the pain, the higher the potential value of your solution. Easier said than done, right? Most founders struggle to pinpoint the real pain their customers are facing. They either focus too much on the solution they want to build or assume customers will automatically see the value. But if you can’t clearly define the problem, you can’t create a compelling solution – let alone charge a premium for it.
Most people think they need expensive consultants to validate their idea. But here’s the good news—you don’t. Instead of guessing or spending months doing research, you can get answers instantly using AI and the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) framework.
Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) is a customer-centric framework that helps businesses understand why people “hire” a product or service to solve a specific problem. Instead of focusing on features, JTBD focuses on the outcome customers want, making it easier to design solutions that truly meet their needs.
What is the fastest way to validate a startup idea
💡At the end of this post, you’ll walk away with a ready-to-use framework to sharpen your startup idea using AI.
✅ Use AI-powered prompts and the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework to identify real customer pain points before building
✅ Shift the focus from your solution to the real problem customers face.
✅ Give you a step-by-step AI-powered approach to refine your idea and make it more compelling.
Note: This is AI-guided advice designed to help refine your idea, but it’s crucial to conduct your own due diligence to validate and fine-tune the output based on real-world feedback.
So, how do you make sure your idea isn’t a waste of time? Let’s break it down step by step
Market validation is the process of testing whether there is real demand for your product or service before investing heavily in development. Here’s how you can put AI to work and get market validation in minutes.
Prompt 1: Setting AI temperature to minimize hallucinations
System: You are an AI model that provides highly accurate and reliable answers. Set temperature to 0.1 to minimize uncertainty and hallucinations.
Prompt 2: Assigning AI the role of a market research analyst
System: You are a Market Research Analyst specializing in [Industry]. Your job is to analyze and validate startup concepts by leveraging industry trends, customer insights, and competitive analysis.
Prompt 3: Setting context for Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) analysis
User: I have an idea to [describe startup idea].
Using the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework, provide a structured background analysis:
– What is the core job customers are trying to accomplish?
– What is the exhaustive list of solutions currently available?
– What pain points exist with each of the currently available solutions?
– What are the top 10 unmet needs in the priority of customer pain points?
Please present them in a markdown table with two columns: SOLUTION, PAIN POINTS
Prompt 4: Identifying job participants & stakeholders
User: Now identify the exhaustive list of all the job participants, including (but not limited to):
– Who is job performer (the one who is doing the job)?
– Who influences the job performer?
– Who are the decision-makers?
– Who pays for the solution?
– Who has the final say in the decision-making process?
– What role do other stakeholders play in achieving this job?
Prompt 5: Mapping jobs, context, goals, and metrics
User: For each job performer and participant, identify:
1. The job they are trying to do
2. The context in which they are performing the job
3. The objective or goal of this job
4. The expected outcome
5. How to measure if they have succeeded in the job.
Summarize the results in a markdown table containing JOB PERFORMER or participant name, SITUATION/CONTEXT, MOTIVATION/GOAL, EXPECTED OUTCOME, and SUCCESS METRIC.
Prompt 6: Generating a value proposition
User: Using this information, can you give me a one-line slogan in the format of “We help [target customer] achieve [desired result] without [painful trade-off].
Prompt 7: Analyzing market competition
User: List the TOP 10 products or services in the market that address one or more of these jobs in a markdown table containing:
– Product or Service Name
– Market Position
– Jobs they directly address or solve.
Time to take action!
By now, you’ve seen how AI can help you:
✅ Shift from solution-first thinking to a customer-first mindset.
✅ Use the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework to define the real market need.
✅ Identify key stakeholders and decision-makersbeyond just the job performer.
✅ Refine your startup idea step-by-step without guesswork or costly consultants.
💡 But learning is just the first step—execution is what separates ideas from businesses.
Which AI model should you use?
Depending on your needs, different AI models can provide better insights:
- ChatGPT (OpenAI) – Best for structured research, creativity, and business strategy. Handles Jobs-to-Be-Done well.
- Claude (Anthropic) – Best for longer context memory and market trend analysis. Great for iterative refinement of ideas.
- Google Gemini (formerly Bard) – Best for integrating with real-time Google search data to get the latest competitive insights.
💡 Recommendation: Start with ChatGPT or Claude for structured analysis and idea refinement. If you need market data, use Google Gemini.