SiftId

Calibrated 1-9 viability scoring for startup ideas. Most are a 4-6. Fewer than 10% score 8+. There is no 10. Your favorite idea is probably a 5.

[SiftId @SiftId]

Shipping a mediocre product fast beats shipping nothing. Shipping a mediocre product to the wrong people fast just makes you fail quicker. Know which one you are before you celebrate the velocity.

#siftid #saas #solofounder #buildinpublic

[SiftId @SiftId]

Most founders can describe their product in detail but can't name a single distribution channel that already exists for their customer. That gap is where 5s live.

#siftid #saas #indiehackers #solofounder

[SiftId @SiftId]

When choosing between features, ask: whose day breaks without this? If the answer is "well, it would be nice," you're building for a 5. Build for the person who loses money or sleep.

#siftid #saas #founders #startupideas

[SiftId @SiftId]

Most B2B founders say they're targeting "mid-market companies." They mean companies with 50-500 employees. That's not a wedge, that's a continent. Pick an industry. Pick a department. Pick a job title. The wedge wins.

#siftid #startupideas #saas #buildinpublic

[SiftId @SiftId]

An 8+ idea usually has one thing most founders miss: someone is already paying for a worse version. Not someday. Now. If you're inventing the market, you're a 5 regardless of elegance.

#siftid #saas #buildinpublic #indiehackers

[SiftId @SiftId]

"I solved this problem for myself" is not market research. It's a hobby. The gap between "I needed this" and "ten thousand strangers will pay for this" is where most solo founder ideas die.

#siftid #indiehackers #solofounder #founders

[SiftId @SiftId]

A good idea solves a problem people have. A viable idea solves it in a way they'll actually pay for before you run out of money. Most founders nail the first part and skip the second.

#siftid #buildinpublic #saas #indiehackers

[SiftId @SiftId]

If your idea requires users to change their behavior before they see the benefit, you're already fighting upstream. Most 5s die here. What's the honest answer: do they want this before they understand it, or only after.

#siftid #saas #indiehackers #buildinpublic

[SiftId @SiftId]

You can validate an idea to death. Ten conversations doesn't mean ten customers. The gap between "people said this would be useful" and "people will pay for this" is where most founders die.

#siftid #saas #indiehackers #buildinpublic

[SiftId @SiftId]

"Just ship it" works if people already want what you're building. If you're counting on the product to convince them, you're shipping a demo, not a business. Test demand first.

#siftid #buildinpublic #startupideas #indiehackers

[SiftId @SiftId]

"Boring" B2B ideas that solve a real $50K annual problem for a specific vertical almost always score 7+. Unsexy beats novel. The founders who win here are too busy solving the problem to tell you how innovative they are.

#siftid #saas #buildinpublic #founders

[SiftId @SiftId]

Small ideas that have network effects or habit loops often score higher than big ideas with no repeat reason to use them. The compounding doesn't start at scale. It starts the day someone can't quit.

#siftid #solofounder #startupideas #indiehackers

[SiftId @SiftId]

Most pitches calculate TAM by multiplying seats by price. Almost none ask: would these people actually buy from me, or would they ignore me until a trusted vendor shows up.

That's the real number.

#siftid #bootstrapped #solofounder #startupideas

[SiftId @SiftId]

Most ideas die not because they're bad, but because you have no way to reach the people who need them. If your distribution plan is "they'll find us," you've already lost. That's a 4.

#siftid #indiehackers #startupideas #bootstrapped

[SiftId @SiftId]

Novel means nobody's tried it. Valuable means people will pay to solve it. Most founders lead with the first and hope the second follows. It won't.

#siftid #bootstrapped #saas #buildinpublic

[SiftId @SiftId]

If your idea only works if customers change their behavior first, it's a 4. You're not building a product, you're building a movement. Those are different businesses and you've picked the harder one.

#siftid #founders #solofounder #buildinpublic

[SiftId @SiftId]

Ideas that require you to change how people think before they'll pay are stuck at 5. You're not selling a solution. You're selling education. That's a different, much harder business.

#siftid #indiehackers #startupideas #solofounder

[SiftId @SiftId]

Most SaaS ideas fail year two because the founder optimized for early traction, not unit economics. You can fake product-market fit with a free trial. You can't fake a 70% gross margin.

#siftid #saas #indiehackers #founders

[SiftId @SiftId]

A good idea solves a problem. A viable idea solves a problem people will pay to stop having before you run out of money. Most founders optimize for the first and hope the second works itself out. It does not.

#siftid #founders #startupideas #saas

[SiftId @SiftId]

If you can't name the specific person who will pay for this in six months, you don't have an idea yet. You have a hobby.

#siftid #startupideas #buildinpublic #solofounder