# Validate demand before building

Canonical: https://manyspace.aporia.systems/topics/validate-demand-before-building-earn-ai-002
Updated: 2026-10-24

Earning Money with AI · Discover a real opportunity · EARN-AI-002

- Difficulty: 1 / 5
- Importance: 4 / 5
- Study time: 0.5–1 h

Interview from past behaviour, then test a small, bounded commitment.

## Why it matters

Compliments and clicks can feel like demand. Concrete behaviour gives stronger evidence and makes a small experiment possible.

## Where it is used

Create an interview guide and pilot hypothesis with a target customer, evidence threshold, time limit and stop rule.

## How you know you have learned it

Complete the scenario checks, explain the decision in your own words, and produce this artifact: Create an interview guide and pilot hypothesis with a target customer, evidence threshold, time limit and stop rule.

## Use an evidence ladder

Illustrative funnel counts describe one test; they are not market benchmarks.

Talk to people who actually do or buy the work. Ask about the last occurrence, their current workaround, what failure costs, and who approves spending. With permission, offer a small paid pilot with a clear deliverable and cancellation terms. Define what would make you stop or revise the idea. Do not invent interviews, testimonials or purchase intent.

You can spend one week testing a source-linked report service for small shops.
1. Speak with a small set of relevant shop owners; record facts separately from interpretations.
2. Offer the same narrowly scoped pilot to qualified buyers, explaining what they receive and when.
3. Set an experiment rule in advance, such as revising the offer if no qualified buyer commits within your time budget.

Decide from observed behaviour. A failed experiment is a reason to revise the hypothesis, not hide the result.

A survey says people “would probably pay”. Can you forecast recurring sales from that?

No. Test a concrete offer and observe actual commitment and delivery. Stated interest alone does not show purchase or retention.

## What you need first

- [Find a problem worth solving](https://manyspace.aporia.systems/topics/find-a-problem-worth-solving-earn-ai-001) (required)

## What it opens

- [Choose an AI income model](https://manyspace.aporia.systems/topics/choose-an-ai-income-model-earn-ai-003)