Quickly validate if your idea is worth anything | Starter Story

When you’re trying to figure out whether a business idea has real demand, the first mistake is to rely on gut feeling or a single data point. On this episode of Starter Story, the host walks through a concrete, repeatable process for validating a market before you invest time or money. The core insight is that validation isn’t about proving your idea is brilliant—it’s about finding out whether people are already searching for what you want to offer, and whether that search volume is stable or growing.

Start with keyword volume, not opinions

The validation process begins with a simple tool: a Google Chrome extension called Keyword Everywhere. The idea is to take your initial concept—say, “Swedish massage”—and see how many people are actually searching for it each month. This gives you a raw demand signal. If the volume is high, you know the market exists. But the real value comes from drilling down. The host explains that you can use the tool to generate a list of related keywords, which often reveals sub-niches you hadn’t considered. For example, within “Swedish massage,” you might find searches for “Swedish massage for back pain” or “Swedish massage near me.” These sub-niches can be more specific, less competitive, and more likely to convert into paying customers.