“Verbatim

Validate demand before you build: hear what buyers already said

The First-Look Market Brief from Verbatim, a product of The Art of Service, is a USD 497 one-off brief for founders checking an idea before they build it. It matches the planned offer to what operators said on 900+ podcasts in the last 30 days and returns their pains, the recipes that worked and the open lanes, in their own words, each linked to the exact second. A person reads it before it is sent, and it arrives within two business days.

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Sounds like you?

a software founder: about 80 user research calls in the first month, before building
“We did something like 80 user research calls in the space that first month.”
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Said on Scaling Europe
Why it worked 80 Share this moment

Framework

The Said-Before-Built Gate

It holds the build gate shut until three posts stand: pains buyers said, recipes that worked, and a lane still open.

The Said-Before-Built GateIt holds the build gate shut until three posts stand: pains buyers said, recipes that worked, and a lane still open. Pains said: buyers describing the problem your offer solves, out loud. Recipes proven: what operators did that worked, with their numbers. Lanes open: demand nobody in your market serves well yet. Build: the gate opens when all three posts stand.Pains said: buyers describing the problem your offer solves, out loud1Pains saidbuyers describing theproblem your offersolves, out loudRecipes proven: what operators did that worked, with their numbers2Recipes provenwhat operators did thatworked, with theirnumbersLanes open: demand nobody in your market serves well yet3Lanes opendemand nobody in yourmarket serves well yetBuild: the gate opens when all three posts standBuildthe gate opens whenall three posts standThe Said-Before-Built GateIt holds the build gate shut until three posts stand: pains buyers said, recipes that worked, and a lane still open. Pains said: buyers describing the problem your offer solves, out loud. Recipes proven: what operators did that worked, with their numbers. Lanes open: demand nobody in your market serves well yet. Build: the gate opens when all three posts stand.Pains said: buyers describing the problem your offer solves, out loudPains saidbuyers describing the problem youroffer solves, out loudRecipes proven: what operators did that worked, with their numbersRecipes provenwhat operators did that worked,with their numbersLanes open: demand nobody in your market serves well yetLanes opendemand nobody in your marketserves well yetBuild: the gate opens when all three posts standBuildthe gate opens when all threeposts stand
Each post carries ticks for quotes you can play; a missing post keeps the gate closed.

What are the signs you need evidence before you build?

  1. Your only evidence is friends and early fans. They are kind, not buyers.
  2. You can't name the buyer's words for the problem. If you can't say it their way, you can't sell it their way.
  3. Nobody has told you what they tried before. Buyers who solved it another way are your real competition.
  4. You don't know what it should cost. Price talk from operators in your market sets the range.
  5. A co-founder or investor is asking for proof. A quote with a name and a second is proof they can check.

The Said-Before-Built Gate turns these into three posts. The First-Look Market Brief fills them from what operators already said on the record.

How does this compare with running research calls?

Calls are still worth doing. Hearing a buyer answer your own question is hard to replace. But booking 80 calls in a month takes a founder's whole month. Operators have already described their pains, what they tried and what they paid on podcasts, with a name and a date. The First-Look Market Brief collects that record for your planned offer first, so the calls you do book test sharper questions. It is the Verbatim One brief, aimed at a build decision.

Frequently asked questions

How do I validate a business idea before building it?

Find out whether buyers already describe the problem, what they tried, and what they pay, in their own words. The Verbatim First-Look Market Brief, USD 497, does this from what operators said on 900+ podcasts in the last 30 days, each quote linked to the second, so you build on evidence.

How many customer interviews do I need?

Enough to hear the same pain described the same way several times, which often takes dozens of calls. The Verbatim First-Look Market Brief, USD 497, gives you that pattern from operators who already spoke on the record, so your own interviews can go deeper on the questions that remain.

Can podcasts replace user research calls?

Not fully, and the First-Look Market Brief does not claim to. It gives you what operators already said on 900+ podcasts about the problem, with a name and a second for each quote, for USD 497. Use it to choose who to call and what to ask, then run fewer, sharper calls.

What is in a Verbatim brief?

Buyer pains your planned offer would solve, delivery recipes that worked with numbers, new lanes, traffic recipes and a short build agenda, every quote linked to the second it was said. The First-Look Market Brief is the Verbatim One brief, USD 497, pointed at a decision to build.

How fast is it delivered?

Within two business days of ordering, as a private link. A person reads every Verbatim First-Look Market Brief before it is sent. It costs USD 497, paid once, and if any quote link is broken or any attribution is wrong, you get a refund.

What if the brief shows no demand?

Then it has saved you a build. The Verbatim First-Look Market Brief reports what the library holds, honestly sized, and says so when buyers are not describing the problem. That answer, at USD 497, is cheaper than months of building, and it usually points to a nearby lane that does have demand.

Hear the market before you build for it

USD 497, one brief, within two business days.

Get my First-Look Market Brief

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