As you probably know, I have been working online for 26 years.
In that time I have watched thousands and thousands of ideas come and go. Some were great. Some... not so much.
The difference between the two is rarely the idea itself.
It is whether anyone pressure-tested it before the work began.
What pressure testing means
Engineers pressure-test a tank before they put it into service. They apply more stress than the tank will ever see in real life. If it holds, it holds. If it cracks, better to find out during the test than out in the field.
People in the AI industry use this term every single day.
It means using AI as a critical thinking partner, evaluating AI performance before deployment, and testing AI safety guardrails
A business idea works the same way. You put it under stress on purpose.
Who exactly is it for?
Will they pay for it?
Does the problem create urgency?
What already exists?
You ask the hard questions while the idea is still easy to fix. That's because fixing problems during a promotion is like trying to inflate a car's tire while you are driving.
Most people skip this. They fall in love with the idea and go straight to building.
A few weeks and a few hundred dollars later, the idea fails in the field.
Only recently I was speaking with a Master Member who summed it up perfectly.
"I keep having these ideas for an online business, but I don't really know if they're any good."
Good question. So I went looking for answers on his behalf.
I asked around on Facebook, and here is what I got back: pitch after pitch. People selling me their product instead of helping me evaluate his idea. Nobody wanted to talk about whether the idea was any good. Everybody wanted to talk about their offer.
I gave the member some advice, and happily it worked out quite well.
But the experience stuck with me.
There should be a clearinghouse for ideas.
A place where you can put an idea to the test before you invest in it.
I looked and looked but I could not find one.
So I built it myself.
It is called Pressure Test My Idea, and you can see it here: pressuretestmyidea.com
I have set it up so you can pressure test an idea for free.
Go take a look. Put your idea in and see what comes back.
And when you do, let me know what you think. I read every reply, and I hope you find it helpful.
Charlie