Posted on Oct 24

Why I Test Demand Before I Build (and You Probably Should Too)

#saas #validation #startup #indiehackers

I’ve lost count of how many side projects I’ve built that never found users.

Beautiful landing pages. Clever names. Clean code.

But no demand.

Every indie hacker goes through that phase — building in excitement, then watching the numbers stay at zero.

These days, I do the opposite.

Before I build anything, I test if people actually want it.

That mindset led me to create JoinWaitlist.dev — a tiny tool that helps founders launch a waitlist page in minutes to validate their idea before writing a single line of code.

It’s basically a “fake door test” made simple:

Create a one-page landing.
Add a clear headline and

I’ve lost count of how many side projects I’ve built that never found users.

Beautiful landing pages. Clever names. Clean code.

But no demand.

Every indie hacker goes through that phase — building in excitement, then watching the numbers stay at zero.

These days, I do the opposite.

Before I build anything, I test if people actually want it.

That mindset led me to create JoinWaitlist.dev — a tiny tool that helps founders launch a waitlist page in minutes to validate their idea before writing a single line of code.

It’s basically a “fake door test” made simple:

Create a one-page landing.
Add a clear headline and signup form.
Share it in your communities.
See if anyone cares enough to join the waitlist.

If people sign up → you’ve got a real signal.

If not → you’ve saved yourself weeks or months of wasted effort.

What I Learned

Validation ≠ Perfection.

You don’t need fancy branding or pixel-perfect UI. A headline and a promise are enough to test interest.
Silence is data.

Zero sign-ups tells you something too — the idea, the audience, or the message isn’t resonating.
Momentum beats motivation.

Real feedback from even 3 sign-ups keeps you moving more than 30 days of overthinking.