A Goldilocks zone exists for solo builders and finding it is an outcome of validation. If you're brave enough, you've validated your idea and the problem space before committing time and effort to anything else. Swallowing this down might feel like powdery porridge oats got stuck in your throat.

Tools in your Toolbox

This podcast so far has delivered some amazing insights for me and I hope to others as well, and the one that stands out the most is validation. It’s a power tool that any builder would benefit from using. If you're too scared to validate, then you're set for failure. I can't say that with enough energy! If you can't find would be buyers, then maybe your niche is too specific and your market is economically unviable to reach. If you think everyone would buy it, then one of two outcomes: you're an idiot and you need to do more homework or more likely, your idea is too generic and destined to fail. You can't be all the things to everyone. Someone once said to me, lifeguards might have to choose who to save and who to punch in the face. You can be data driven in your face punching and saving of lives.

If you're afraid to validate based on your ego projected value of the idea (and theft of it), then you either need VC money and go big, or your idea is too simple to solve and unlikely to give you a lifestyle business. Did my use of ego upset you? Good, it’s another driver to do validation.

Goldilocks Porridge - ahhh, it’s just right

There is a space in which your solution meets unmet customer needs in exchange for an amount of cash that can support your lifestyle. This zone exists because there are those unmet niche needs and if there was a 100% easy solve, everyone would already be doing it. The questions begin to look like: "What's it worth to the group of people needing my solution? How big is that group? Is that group reachable? Can it sustain me?". SaaS businesses, ebooks, courses and traditional software are easy examples that offer this multiple returns aspect.

The Goldilocks zone is a beautiful place where your target buyers confirm their cash can be exchanged to have an annoyance taken away, provide a time or monetary gain or prevent loss. It's the zone where reality meets dreams and the cash appears in your bank account.

Go forth and validate because the porridge can be just right for you. There’s plenty of validated supporting evidence!