ValiDATING

Product Validation: the process of testing your idea with potential users to get feedback on the product's viability.

So now you have to start putting yourself out there. Are you ready to tell people you are validating? What if no one wants to help you validate? What if they think your idea isn’t even worth validating or you're too old to be out there validating? You don’t want to seem too desperate, but you want to be clear about what you are looking for and make sure you are asking the right questions. Getting over the fear of becoming “that person” in everyone’s inbox was and still is the biggest hurdle for me. Self-promotion makes me queasy. But you know what they say "you'll never do anything great if you don't first validate" (no one actually says that but it rhymed).

I started by sending out a survey to people in my circle. The purpose of the survey was not to lead anyone toward my idea but to find out what their pain points were around planning group events or travel. When we know that social and family time is so important and there are many studies that tell us that maintaining strong relationships with friends and family into adulthood can lead to not only a happier life but a healthier one. After getting back some initial responses, I did follow-up interviews via zoom to dive deeper into the discussion. I got some amazing feedback! Everyone had a story or vent about trying to plan a vacation with extended family or a couples dinner with a group of friends. Over and over, I was hearing that people want to get together but are too BUSY and spend a lot of time going back and forth via text or email with their group. Overall, the #1 pain point that everyone conveyed was "it's so hard to find a date that works for everyone". GREEN LIGHT! We have so many tools that help us save time in our professional lives, but why don't we have more tools to help us plan our social calendars? Stay tuned :)