Ready-made Interview Template to Validate Your Business Ideas
Tested on my business (of course) and +200 people globally
What is this? Why interview others?
The first thing we learned about building a business is to validate the idea first - which basically means: do people out there need what I want to build? If yes, who?
Makes sense. After all, why sell sand to people in the desert? And if there is someone who wants to buy it, who (on earth) would that be?
That's the purpose of these interviews. Simple.
But now the question is: how can we figure out what they really need?
Easy as it seems, we may face many biases and misunderstandings because usually, the way we ask questions is already intended to validate the product/business we want to build.
The “Don’t Do This” Example 🫣
Let me paint a picture for you:
You: “So, what do you think about sand? You know, it’s a fundamental aspect of construction... You’re totally gonna buy it, right? Right??”
Them: sweating “…uh, sure?”
Yeah, not your best move. That’s called leading the witness, and it’ll land you in business jail—aka building a product no one wants.
That's why having clear, purposeful, unbiased questions is a must in this process.
I built my template, combining insights from:
A must-read for user interviews: "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick. It shows you how to uncover user needs with as little bias as possible.
Another great read: "Demand-Side Sales 101" by Bob Moesta & Greg Engle. It helps you understand the user's "job to be done," so you can align your product and messaging with their needs.
Other newsletters and blogs I came across.
So, here it is - my tried-and-tested template to validate your business idea:
🙌 Opening
How important is XXX [the task you are trying to solve] in your life?
What’s your current way to do XXX?
1. Push Questions:
What are the key things you are struggling with in XXX?
1. [Problem 1]
Why does that bother you? What are the consequences of that?
How much does this problem cost? / How frequently do you encounter this problem?
When was the last time it happened? Walk me through it
How are you dealing with it? What, if anything, have you done to try to solve this problem?
When you search for the problems, how do you search for them? Where / How did you look to solve this pain?
What don't you love about the solutions you've already tried?
2. [Problem 2]
3. [Problem 3]
2. Pull questions:
What is the outcome you want from solving your struggle? What are you hoping to achieve by using this new app?
[Outcome 1]
[Outcome 2]
What solutions are you seeking for?
[Solution 1]
Why do you want that?
What does this allow you to do/achieve?
How are you coping without it?
How would that fit into your day?
[Solution 2]
3. Anxiety Questions:
What’s your greatest concern about getting rid of the old product or service?
What’s your greatest concern about putting something new into your life?
4. Habit Questions:
Even though there are problems, what do you love the most about your current product or service?
What are you willing to give up to get something better?
What are you not willing to give up?
Recommendation
What features will drastically make your life easier?
Here’s how we’re thinking of solving the problem: [Describe it] What advice do you have for how I could make it fit your worldview more closely?
Bonus questions:
👉 Continue reading here
If you are too busy to read, then here’s the TLDR 😂
Open-Ended Questions: Get them talking about their experience. “What’s the biggest challenge you face in construction?” > “You like sand, right?”
Shut Up and Listen: Your job is to listen—not convince. You’re not here to pitch your idea just yet.
Dig Deep: Ask follow-up questions. If they mention a pain point, keep asking until you understand why it matters to them.
