The Simplest Way to Validate Your Business Idea Before Building a Website

Starting a Business? Don’t Build the Website Yet!

If you're just getting started with your business idea, it might feel exciting (and a little scary). You probably want to jump in and build a beautiful website right away—but pause for a second.

Here’s a secret most new entrepreneurs don’t know:

You don’t need a website to see if your idea will work.

Let’s talk about the simplest way to validate your business idea—meaning, making sure people actually want what you’re offering—before you spend time or money building a site.

💡 What Does "Validate Your Business Idea" Even Mean?

"Validate" is just a fancy word for testing your idea to see if people are interested in it. It helps you answer questions like:

Do people actually want this product or service?
Will anyone pay for it?
Are there already other people doing something similar (and is that a good or bad thing)?

Think of it like this: Before you bake a cake for a party, you might want to taste the batter to see if it’s any good. That’s validation.

🚫 Why You Shouldn’t Start With a Website

Websites take time, money, and energy. If you’re not techy, you might spend hours trying to figure things out (or hire someone to help). That’s okay later—but it’s not where to start.

Here’s what can happen if you skip validation and build the website first:

You launch… and no one visits.
You spend money on branding and copy… but the idea flops.
You feel discouraged and stuck.

Let’s avoid that! 💛

✅ Step 1: Get Clear on What You’re Offering

Before you test your idea, you need to know what it is.

Ask yourself:

What problem am I solving?
Who am I helping?
What am I selling?

Example:
Let’s say you want to help busy moms eat healthier by offering done-for-you weekly meal plans.

Problem: Moms don’t have time to plan healthy meals.
Help: You take the thinking off their plates.
Offer: A weekly meal plan emailed every Sunday.

Perfect. Now you have a basic idea to test.

📣 Step 2: Talk About Your Idea (Even If It’s Not Perfect Yet)

This part can feel scary, but it’s where the magic happens.

Start talking to real people about your idea. Not in a salesy way—just in a “Hey, I’m thinking of doing this…” kind of way.

Here’s how:

Post on social media.
Example: “I’m thinking of creating a weekly healthy meal plan for moms who don’t have time to cook. Would anyone be interested in that?”
Ask in Facebook groups.
Join groups where your ideal client hangs out. Search for terms like “mom entrepreneur,” “busy moms,” or “healthy living.”
Talk to people you know.
Friends, neighbors, moms at school pick-up—you never know who’s listening.

The goal here is to see if people respond with interest. Do they comment, message you, say “I need this!”? That’s a sign you’re onto something.

💬 Step 3: Ask for Feedback

If people show interest, keep the conversation going. Ask questions like:

“What would make this really helpful for you?”
“What do you struggle with the most when it comes to [the problem]?”
“Would you pay for something like this?”

Keep it simple and casual. People love to give their opinion—let them help you shape your idea.

🧪 Step 4: Test With a Simple Offer (No Website Needed)

Now that you’ve got some interest and feedback, it’s time to do a tiny test.

Here’s how:

Create a super basic version of your offer.
Example: Make one week’s meal plan in a simple PDF.
Offer it for free or for a small price.
Example: “I just made a healthy meal plan for busy moms—anyone want it? I’ll email it to you for $5.”
Collect payments simply.
Use something easy like PayPal, Venmo, or Stripe. You don’t need a fancy checkout system.
Deliver it manually.
Email it to them yourself, or use Google Drive. Don’t worry about automation yet.

This small test will show you if people are actually willing to pay—and that’s real validation.

📈 Step 5: Watch What Works and Improve From There

Pay attention to what people like, what questions they ask, and where they get stuck.

Did someone say, “I wish it came with a grocery list”? Great! That’s an idea for the next version.

Did people say yes to paying for it? Now you know there’s a real need.

From here, you can grow step by step.

🌐 When It’s Time to Build the Website

Once your idea is validated—meaning people have paid or shown strong interest—then it’s time to build a simple website or landing page.

By this point, you’ll have:

Clear messaging based on what real people said
A better understanding of what your audience wants
Confidence that your idea is actually working

And trust me, building a website is much easier (and more fun) when you know it’s for something that people already want.

👩‍💻 Real Life Example: Sarah’s Virtual Assistant Idea

Let me tell you about Sarah. She wanted to be a virtual assistant for small businesses but didn’t know how to start.

Instead of building a website, she:

Created a list of tasks she could help with (email, data entry, etc.)
Posted in a Facebook group for business owners: “I’m starting to offer VA help—anyone need an extra set of hands?”
Got her first client the next day.

Now Sarah has a full client list and a website—because she validated her offer first.

💖 You Don’t Need to Be Techy to Start a Business

If you’ve been waiting to build a website because tech stuff overwhelms you, that’s okay. You can still start. You can still help people. And you can still make money.

Start small. Start simple. Start talking.

Your idea deserves a chance—and this way, you won’t waste time building something no one sees. Instead, you’ll grow with confidence.