The 48-Hour Money Challenge: How I Validated My First Business Idea

Today, I’ll share with you how I earned my first online income ever (after aspiring to have a business since 2016).

It was summer.

I was sipping some black coffee while reading “The Million Dollar Weekend“ by Noah Kagan.

The book had some unconventional exercises like asking for a discount at the coffee shop.

But that’s a story for another time.

What caught my attention the most was the concept of validating a business idea by getting paid upfront.

The Idea That Felt Right

I created a personal productivity system (which I had refined since discovering David Allen’s GTD system in 2018).

It helped me manage my work, family, and personal life.

100% life changing.

And because I used to lead a team at a software company, I got to share this system with my team.

I taught them how to use it to be more productive.

So I was confident that the system works, as it worked for me and my colleagues.

But I wondered: “Will others be willing to pay for it?“

So this was my business idea.

And I was determined to find out if people would actually pay for it.

Pro tip: When choosing an idea, solve your own problems. If it's something you’d pay for, others might too.

Validating the Idea: Reaching Out

The next step was to validate my idea.

I needed to confirm:

1. If others faced the same challenges

2. Are they also willing to pay for a solution.

According to Kagan, this involves reaching out to your "Zone of Influence”:

• friends

• former colleagues

• and other connections who already know and trust you.

With that, I made a list of 13 people who fit my target customer profile:

1. high-performing

2. knowledge workers

3. overwhelmed at work

(#3 I honestly had no idea if they were overwhelmed.)

So now, I already have my business idea. I have a list of prospects.

It was now time to execute (the hardest part).

I was ready for the 48-Hour Money Challenge.

The goal was simple yet nerve-wracking: get three customers to pay for my service within 48 hours.

The challenge was to see if my idea was viable before investing too much time and effort.

Here’s the exact script I sent to one of my prospect:

Sending that first message was terrifying.

My heart raced, and I almost backed out. But then, the responses started coming in.

The Results: A Rollercoaster of Emotions

The first reply was a resounding yes. Someone was interested!

I’ll never forget that feeling.

It was 8 years in the making.

I finally got my first ever client!

Yet, not all responses were as enthusiastic. Out of 13 messages sent:

• 4 people didn’t respond.

• 4 said they needed time to think about it.

• 1 promised to review it but never followed up.

• 1 didn’t even open the message.

• 3 said yes!

In a few days, I had three paying customers, validating my idea and giving me the confidence to move forward.

The key takeaway?

Don’t spend endless hours perfecting something that might not even be wanted.

Instead, take action, validate your idea, and iterate based on real feedback.

This experience taught me the value of taking risks and putting your ideas out there.

You never know what will happen until you try.

So, if you have a business idea, don’t wait.

Identify your business idea. Reach out to people.

And most importantly, validate it by getting paid.

You might surprise yourself with the results!

Thanks for reading. I hope this inspired you to try and get your first ever client.

In other, less important news:

• Grab a copy of the Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan.

• Here’s what I’m listening to in Spotify while writing.

• I met with two friends from Threads this week. I love meeting new friends!

To taking more risks,
Vikko