Most SaaS start-ups or product failures happen NOT because of bad code, but because of a lack of market need and unvalidated ideas. Let’s see what the numbers actually say:
- 42% of startup failures (all tech verticals, including SaaS) happen because there’s “no market need” for the product.
- 34% of SaaS product failures are caused by poor product-market fit alone, not technical debt.
- Other leading reasons include: not listening to customers, premature scaling, and poor go-to-market execution.
Most founders confuse validation with approval. “Everyone I talked to said they’d use this!” means nothing if those same people won’t give you their email address or $50.
Real validation is behavioral proof: someone clicks your ad, signs up for a waitlist, enters payment information, or commits time to a pilot. Opinions are free. Actions cost something, and that cost is your signal.
That’s the lesson: data beats desire. Your job isn’t to prove your idea is good. It’s to establish that the market will behave as if it’s good.
So, let’s continue to discuss how you can validate your SaaS idea and realize it’s time to go for production.
What SaaS Idea Validation Actually Means
Validation isn’t asking people if they like your idea. It’s watching what they actually do.
Validation measures three things:
- Problem intensity – Do people actively feel this pain, or is it theoretical?
- Solution fit – Will your specific approach actually solve it?
- Willingness to pay – Will they exchange money for your solution?
Skip any of these, and you’re building on assumptions. Here’s a quick look at the validation process we use:
| Validation Method | Best For | Time Investment (Whatever works for you) |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Interviews | Understanding pain and problem depth | 1–2 weeks |
| Landing Page Test | Gauging interest, testing messaging | 2–4 weeks |
| Concierge MVP | Validating solution + willingness to pay | 4–8 weeks |
| No-Code Prototype | Testing UI/UX and workflow | 2–6 weeks |
| Beta Product | Final validation before full launch | 8–16 weeks |
Step 1: Start With the Problem, Not the Product
Before a single pixel is designed or a line of code is written, the real work is understanding what problem you’re solving, and for whom.
Most SaaS founders jump straight to “Here’s my idea, would you use it?” That’s backward. People will say yes to be polite, then never become customers.
At Genesys, when we began shaping what would become TaskGrid, we didn’t sketch UI screens or debate color palettes. We spent weeks simply listening.
Here’s how we approach it with no fancy tools, no spending, just genuine conversations.
Join Real Conversations
Go where your potential users vent and look for patterns, not one-off frustrations, and not where they’re sold to. Your job isn’t to pitch yet; it’s to listen and spot patterns.
Browse subreddits, Quora threads, Facebook groups, LinkedIn communities, and Slack or Discord channels where your target users hang out. Look for comments like:
- “I wish there was an easier way to…”
- “We still do this manually because nothing works well.”
- “Is there a tool for X?”
If the same complaint shows up over and over, that’s validation gold. Save those posts; they reveal how users describe their own pain.
Read Competitor Reviews
Head to G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot and read the 1-star and 3-star reviews of tools solving similar problems. These middle-ground frustrations are where opportunity hides. Watch for phrases like:
- “I wish it had …”
- “Too expensive for what it does.”
- “Missing basic feature X.”
Those are unmet expectations, the space where your product can win.
Do Basic Keyword Research
Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner or AnswerThePublic to check if people actively search for the problem. Type phrases such as “how to [problem]” or “best [solution]” Look for:
- 500 + monthly searches → real interest
- Question-based queries (“how to …”, “why does …”)
- Multiple related terms around the same pain
No search volume? The problem might not matter enough yet.
Check Google Trends
Still free and fast. Search your problem topic and see if interest is rising, steady, or declining.
You’re looking for consistent interest over time and multiple related keywords pointing to the same pain. A steady upward curve means you’re entering a growing conversation.
Analyze Competitors
Before you talk to users, scan the landscape. Google “[your problem] tool” or “[your problem] software.” Visit 3–5 competitor sites and note:
- What audience are they really serving (SMB, enterprise, freelancers)?
- How do they price (usage-based, seat-based, flat)?
- Which features dominate their reviews or complaints?
Then check their social feeds and comments for user questions or complaints. This shows whether the market is saturated or underserved and where gaps exist.
If several tools exist but none delight customers, that’s an opportunity. If there’s one dominant player with rabid fans, that’s a hard hill to climb; you’ll need a fresh angle.
A Quick Note Before We Go Further
The framework we’re talking about is what we use now to validate ideas fast and confidently. But when building our project management tool, TaskGrid, we didn’t follow these steps of validation in order.
They struggled, we listened, and built a fix that became our validation. We’ll come to that later.
So treat this framework as a guide, not a strict rulebook. Use what fits your stage and what channels you have access to, skip what doesn’t. There is NO single “correct” order; it depends on your context. The goal is the same: prove real value before you build.
Step 2: Talk to 10-30 People, Not 100
Now that you know what hurts, it’s time to confirm how deep it goes. Find 10 – 30 people who fit your target user and are already complaining about the problem. Message them simply:
“Hey, I saw your post about [problem]. I’m researching this space; would you be open to a 10-minute chat about how you handle [problem]?”
These interviews will give you more confidence that your problem is widespread, not limited to outliers. Remember again, you’re not selling anything, just learning. Here’s a look at the question patterns you can use:
- “Walk me through how you currently handle [task/workflow].”
- “What’s the most frustrating part about it?”
- “Have you tried solving this before? What did you try?”
- “How much time or money does this problem cost you monthly?”
- “When did you last look for a solution to this?”
What you’re listening for:
- They’re already trying to solve it (even badly with duct-taped solutions).
- They mention specific time or money costs.
- They’ve actively searched or tried multiple solutions.
- The problem happens frequently (daily/weekly, not monthly).
- They can describe exactly what “ideal” would look like.
And it’s a red flag if you get answers like this:
- “It’s not that big a deal.”
- They haven’t tried fixing it (“I just deal with it”).
- It only happens occasionally.
- They give vague answers about the impact.
You want evidence of consistent willingness-to-pay. Not just “yes, I have the problem,” but “yes, I pay for solutions, actively hack workarounds, or post bounty jobs”.
After each chat, score what you heard:
| Factor | Observation | Score Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Pain Frequency | Daily/Weekly | 7 – 10 |
| Monthly | 4 – 6 | |
| Rarely | 1 – 3 | |
| Current Spend | Paying for partial fixes = high urgency | – |
| Free tools = medium | – | |
| Doing nothing = low | – | |
| Workaround Complexity | 3 + tools duct-taped = validation signal | – |
| “It’s fine” = red flag | – |
The validation threshold: If 3+ people describe the same problem with a pain frequency score of 7+ and are currently spending time/money trying to solve it, you’ve validated the problem.
Now that you know the problem is real and the market is big enough, it’s time to check if people actually believe your solution can fix it.
Step 3: Run a Fake-Door or Landing Page Test
A landing page test tells you if people you interviewed or reached believe your solution will fix it.
No product. No code. Just a promise and a call to action. This is where you test message-market-fit, not product-market-fit.
How to Build a Simple Landing Page
Use any free or low-cost builder with Framer, Carrd, Notion, Webflow, or even Google Sites. Keep it focused:
- Problem statement (headline): If users say, “pulling reports wastes half my Friday,” use that. Don’t polish it into marketing speak.
- Value proposition (2-3 bullets): How your solution eliminates the pain. Be specific: “Automate weekly reports in 5 minutes” beats “Save time on reporting.”
- Social proof placeholder (Optional): “Join 50+ teams already on the waitlist” (if true). Or skip it entirely if you’re at zero.
- Mockup: Include a simple Figma or Canva screenshot that looks real enough to visualize your solution.
- Clear CTA: “Join the Waitlist,” “Get Early Access,” or “See Pricing” (even if pricing doesn’t exist yet). The CTA tests commitment level.
- A light pricing note at the bottom: “Early access plans start at $9/month” with an additional “get lifetime pricing as a beta user” hook.
You’re not selling but measuring intent. If people still sign up after seeing a price, you’ve found alignment between value and willingness.
Be transparent. Always include copies like “Currently in development, launching Q2 2025” or “Reserve your spot for early access.” No bait-and-switch. No pretending the product is live. Honesty builds early trust.
Share It Where Your Audience Already Are
Now, go back to the Reddit threads, Facebook groups, Slack/Discord communities, LinkedIn posts, etc., where you found your target audience. Comment genuinely, then add:
“Hey, I’m actually building something for this exact problem. Here’s what I’m working on: [link]. Would love your feedback; does this match with what you’re dealing with?”
Frame it as “validating an idea,” not “launching a product.” People love helping builders.
Measure Behavior, Not Compliments
You’re watching for what people do, not what they say.
| Metric | What It Means | Healthy Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Page Visits | You’re reaching the right crowd | 100 + visits in a week = good sample |
| CTA Rate | Interest in your offer | ≥ 3 % shows resonance |
| Email Sign-ups / Waitlist | Real intent to try | ≥ 10 – 15 % is strong |
Keep the form short: name + email. If people share the link on their own, that’s your best validation signal of all.
How Much Proof Is Enough?
3 real “payers” is a great start, especially for niche SaaS, micro SaaS, or bootstrapping, but always push for more interviews/conversations before investing heavily. That number means your idea has legs. But for scalable SaaS, don’t stop there.
Aim for 10–20 genuine conversations beyond your network, tracking who already spends, hacks, or says “I’d pay $X.” Validation builds in layers: you don’t need 100 yeses, but don’t bet big on just 3.
Track Real Proof
Combine the metrics with 5–10 direct calls or survey responses that show true willingness-to-pay, and you’ll have a clear “solution validation” vs weak “idea validation.”
| Signal | What It Means | Validation Level |
|---|---|---|
| “I’d pay $X per month” (unprompted) | Real buying intent | Strong |
| Referral: “You should talk to my team.” | Expanding market need | Strong |
| Willing to pilot or pre-order | Early traction | Excellent |
| “Looks cool, keep me posted.” | Low urgency | Weak |
Don’t be afraid of “no.” Rejection early is insight that saves months later.
Step 4: Deliver Value Before You Automate (The Concierge MVP)
Your next move is discovering the real workflow, the real outcome, and the real delivery mechanism that customers actually need.
The Concierge MVP is the vehicle for that discovery, not a dress rehearsal for the final product.
This is the bridge between idea validation and product validation; the transition from message–market-fit to product–market fit.
What Is a Concierge MVP (and Why It Works)
A Concierge MVP isn’t about manually recreating your future software. It’s about delivering the result your customers need, using whatever method gets there fastest and cheapest.
Forget the myth that it has to “look like” your final product. The goal isn’t to test the interface; it’s to test the outcome.
That’s why some of the world’s biggest products started with completely different delivery mechanisms:
- Airbnb: Founders manually photographed listings and handled email bookings before automating anything.
- Netflix: DVD-by-mail service delivery later became the world’s most prominent streaming service (with a totally different mechanism).
- Pinterest: A Simple pinboard tool upgraded into an AI-powered discovery engine.
None of them mimicked their final tech. They just proved people wanted the result. A strong Concierge MVP validates three things that no spreadsheet or survey ever can:
- Willingness to pay – Do users value the outcome enough to spend real money?
- Solution effectiveness – Does your manual process actually fix their problem?
- Operational feasibility – Can you deliver this value consistently without breaking?
When you test all three before writing code, you de-risk everything that follows.
When is Concierge MVP right for your SaaS idea?
Concierge MVP works best when your outcome is clear, but your delivery mechanism is uncertain. You’re not testing a process; you’re testing whether people will pay for a result. Consider the following thoughts:
- Your solution involves complex, multi-step workflows (hard to automate initially anyway).
- You’re unsure which features truly matter vs. which are “nice-to-have.”
- Your ideal customer needs personalized onboarding or setup (high-touch initially).
- You want to gather deep behavioral insights before committing to tech architecture.
How to Run a Concierge MVP
Reach out to the people who joined your waitlist or shared detailed feedback.
Week 1–2: Recruit 5–10 Real Customers
Offer to personally help them fix part of their workflow, even if it means doing things by hand. Ask short but direct questions:
“Can I walk you through how I’d solve this for you manually?” or “We’re testing a solution for [pain]. I’ll personally deliver the outcome for you for 4 weeks at 50% off our planned pricing. Interested?”
Think of it as running your product as a service for a few targeted users. Qualify them for both pain and budget. The goal is to prove your solution delivers results, not just promises.
Week 3–4: Deliver the Value Manually
Build the experience manually before building the system. Forget scale, focus on proof.
- Use tools you already know: Notion, Sheets, Zapier, or Airtable.
- Every task that your software would automate, you do yourself.
- If your app were to “automate weekly reports,” make them manually.
- If it were “match freelancers with clients,” you run the match.
- Document everything: every step, every question, every stuck moment.
Those notes will become your feature roadmap later. You’re not validating tech, you’re validating impact. If users keep asking for more even when it’s manual, that’s a green light to automate.
Week 5–6: Measure What Matters
After a few weeks, step back and ask:
- Did customers get clear, measurable value?
- Would they pay again or refer someone else?
- What part of the process was hardest to deliver manually?
- Which parts did users care about most (and least)?
Now compare results:
| Outcome | Meaning | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 3+ customers pay, rave, and return | You’ve validated the model | Build |
| 5+ try but drop or refund | Problem real, solution weak | Pivot |
| Too much manual chaos | Delivery model broken | Simplify first |
Gather Real Usage Feedback
During these early “concierge runs,” capture three key signals:
| Signal | What It Tells You | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat Use | They return after first trial | Genuine product–user fit |
| Unprompted Referrals | “Can my teammate try this?” | Early virality |
| Willingness to Pay or Commit | “Can we keep using it if you charge?” | Monetization proof |
Even five highly engaged users can give you more clarity than a hundred survey responses.
Keep It Personal, Then Scalable
Once you’ve served a few users manually, list what parts repeat every time. Those are the pieces to automate first when you build the SaaS MVP.
You’ll know exactly:
- Which actions matter most
- Which features waste effort
- Where users actually feel the value
That’s how you design an MVP that launches with confidence instead of assumptions.
Most failed SaaS products skip this step. They jump straight from idea to code, and realize later they built the wrong workflow. Running a concierge MVP gives you direct proof, real testimonials, and design clarity, all before you spend on development.
What You Learn Here That You Can’t Learn Anywhere Else:
- The real workflow. Users do things differently than you think. You’ll find steps and exceptions you’d never design for otherwise.
- The 20% that drives 80% of value. Customers will fixate on one feature and ignore the rest. That’s your MVP core.
- The true price ceiling. Charge 50–100% of what your SaaS would cost. If users hesitate, it’s a pricing problem, not a product one.
- What breaks before it scales. Every “simple” problem hides operational friction. Better to find it with 5 users than 500.
- Painkiller vs. vitamin. If users don’t renew or refer even after manual delivery, automation won’t save you.
Avoid These Common Traps:
- Do not make it too big. Don’t serve 50 users manually. Serve 5, deeply. You’re not scaling, you’re learning.
- Do not hide the manual part. Be transparent. Tell them they’re part of a pilot. Honesty turns early users into advocates.
- Do not skip payment. Free users don’t behave like paying customers. Charge something, even a symbolic $10.
- Do not skip taking notes. Record every step in Notion, Sheets, or Loom. What feels “obvious” now becomes your biggest blind spot later.
- Do not run it forever. Concierge MVPs have an expiry date: 4–8 weeks max. Then decide whether to build, pivot, or kill.
Step 5: Decide Whether to Build, Hold, or Kill It
At this point, you’ve done the hard part: you’ve listened, tested, and maybe even delivered value manually. Now comes the hardest question SaaS:
“Do we build, hold & refine, or walk away?”
Validation only matters if it leads to a decision. Validate, decide, and always build from proof, not hope. Decide with evidence, not emotion.
The Build Signal: When the Pull Outweighs the Push
You know it’s time to build when:
- The market starts doing the talking for you.
- You’re no longer pushing your idea forward; it’s pulling you forward.
- People start chasing updates. Users want to pay for “unfinished” access.
- You’re spending more time delivering value than explaining what it is.
That’s when you stop validating and start building. It doesn’t need to be a spreadsheet of perfect metrics; it’s a shift in behavior. Validation ends when your early adopters make it impossible to walk away.
We call this the “can’t-go-back” moment. And that’s when TaskGrid stopped being an experiment and became a commitment. Clients depended on it, feedback shaped it, and it earned its next step, automation.
If you’ve hit that point, congratulations. You’ve earned your build.
The Hold Signal: When It’s Working, But Not Yet
You should “Hold” it if:
- People love the idea, but don’t use it twice.
- Retention fades after the first taste.
- The same problem resonates, but the current solution doesn’t.
- Feedback feels polite, not passionate.
The pain might be right, but your angle might not. Hold steady and adjust your direction. Refine your message, narrow your user segment, and revisit how you deliver the outcome. One small tweak can unlock the next stage.
Founders often fear this phase because it feels slow. But this is where clarity compounds quietly. Use it well, and you’ll cut a year off your build time later.
The Kill Signal: When It’s a Good Idea, But Not a Good Business
Then there’s the moment no one wants to face, the kill moment. Here’s what that looks like:
- People nod politely but never sign up.
- Users vanish after first use.
- You’re explaining more than they’re understanding.
- You’re burning energy trying to prove something instead of observing it.
That’s when it’s time to let go. Killing an idea doesn’t mean it failed. It means you finished learning what it had to teach. Every good kill buys you something better: time, clarity, and focus.
Some ideas aren’t wrong, they’re just not right now. And knowing the difference is what separates a founder from a builder. You don’t need a thousand users or perfect graphs to decide, just honesty.
If people are pulling, build. If they’re watching, hold. If they’re silent, kill.
Tools & Systems We Used for No-Code Validation
The truth is: you don’t need funding to validate your SaaS idea. You just need the right stack of no-code tools to simulate, test, and learn.
Here’s the lean toolkit we used many times, and recommend, for each stage of the journey.
For Landing Page Tests
You don’t need a developer to launch your first test. You need a message, a button, and a way to measure curiosity.
Use:
- Webflow – visually build beautiful, responsive landing pages. Perfect for your first “Get Early Access” campaign.
- Landingi – super-fast setup with built-in analytics and forms. Great for founders who just need a “signal” page.
- Carrd (bonus mention) – the one-page MVP workhorse; simple, reliable, free.
For MVP Prototyping & Pre-Sell Stack Validation
Once your landing page tells you people care, show them what “better” looks like. These tools help you deliver value manually, then automate piece by piece.
Use:
- Figma – Design clickable prototypes in hours.
- Glide – Turn a Google Sheet into a functioning mini-app in minutes.
- Softr – Create web apps, dashboards, or client portals powered by Airtable or Sheets.
- Adalo – For mobile-first MVPs when your users live on phones.
- Notion / Airtable / Google Sheets – Your quick-and-dirty backend for managing clients, data, or manual delivery.
- Zapier / Make (Integromat) – Connect everything you’re doing manually; automate where repetition hurts most.
- Bubble – Build a working SaaS or marketplace prototype with workflows, databases, and logins, all drag-and-drop.
- Stripe Checkout – Collect early payments or deposits safely.
SaaS Validation Metrics
See if your message attracts real interest.
Use:
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – The gold standard for tracking traffic, click events, and behavior flow. Set up simple event tracking for “Sign-up,” “Waitlist,” or “Pricing Click.”
- Hotjar (Free Tier) – Scroll-depth maps and feedback widgets for visual engagement data.
- Microsoft Clarity – Visual heatmaps and session recordings show why visitors click (or don’t) (Free; privacy-safe alternative to Hotjar).
- Tally.so – Simple, embeddable signup or feedback forms that integrate with Notion, Airtable, or email. (Free; clean UI and no login required for users).
- Typeform – Frictionless forms for surveys or early-access sign-ups. (Free for limited responses; great for UX and conversion).
- Google Sheets + Zapier / Make – Connect your form directly to a waitlist spreadsheet (Automate updates and get a live view of sign-ups).
- Notion + Loom – log weekly usage updates and capture qualitative behavior (feedback, requests, retention notes). (Free, human-first, async-friendly).
- PostHog (Free Plan) – Open-source analytics for tracking in-app actions (for no-code or early MVPs). (Free for small projects, self-hostable).
- Stripe Checkout / LemonSqueezy – Embed pre-orders, deposits, or “reserve early access” buttons directly on landing pages. (Free to set up; pay only transaction fees).
- Paddle – Ideal for testing pricing across regions. (Free setup; handles tax/VAT compliance).
- Google Looker Studio – Turn all that data into clean, shareable visual dashboards for investors or partners. (Free, integrates with Sheets, GA4, Stripe).
How to Simplify Tools for Validation
Keep every metric visible in one place, without data overload.
- Notion – build a simple “Validation Tracker” database:
- Traffic → from GA4
- Signups → from Tally
- Pre-orders → from Stripe
- Notes → from interviews (Everything in one workspace.)
- Airtable / TaskGrid – Use templates like “Startup Validation Tracker” or “Funnel Tracker.” (Free plan easily handles early-stage needs).
We’ve tried each of these tools at one point of our early years, and some we still use, like Figma, Notion, Google Analytics, etc.
Each of these tools have different functions for different tasks, align which works best for your specific context, and hopefully you’ll come out on the other side like we did.
Our Playbook in Action: The TaskGrid Story
When we started TaskGrid, our own project management tool, it wasn’t some grand SaaS vision on a whiteboard. It was a recurring frustration from our own clients, people we worked with every day.
They’d say things like:
“Slack is great for chatting, but terrible for tracking.”
“Trello feels bloated.”
“We spend more time switching tabs than finishing work.”
So we built an internal board, with one interface aligning the core functions of a project management tool like task views, time-tracking, chats and comments, etc.
It wasn’t meant to become a product; it was meant to solve a bottleneck. But then something happened: our clients asked to use it. Then they referred it to other founders in their network.
And before we realized it, that internal tool was being used by ten teams; without a landing page, without a marketing budget, without a “launch.”
That was validation in its purest form. Not metrics. Not sign-up forms. Not theory. Just a chain reaction of people solving real problems and sharing the results.
Looking back, it turns out we followed every principle of this playbook; we just didn’t know it yet. We listened before building. We validated through behaviors and actions, not opinions. And we scaled only after the value was proven.
Our Reflection
Validation isn’t a checklist; it’s a conversation. It doesn’t always start in a survey or end in a Stripe dashboard. Sometimes, it starts with a client saying, “This doesn’t work,” and you quietly decide to fix it properly.
That’s how TaskGrid was born. And that’s how we still validate every new idea we build today: by listening first, building later, and proving value before we ever write code.
Validate Boldly, Build Intentionally
At Genesys Softwares, every product, from internal tools to full-scale SaaS platforms, starts the same way:
We listen until the problem is louder than our assumptions.
Because validation isn’t about being right. It’s about earning the right to build.
If you’re working on your next SaaS idea, start smaller, test faster, and measure what matters. And if you want help designing your validation roadmap, we’ve built this process hundreds of times; we can help you do it too.
Let’s help you prove your idea before you spend a single line of code.