How do I validate my app idea before building?

The biggest mistake first-time founders make is building in isolation for months, then discovering nobody wants what they've created. Validation should happen before and during building, not after.

Step 1: Talk to people. Find 10-20 people who might use your app and have genuine conversations about their problems. Don't pitch your solution-understand their pain points. If you can't find people who have the problem you're solving, that's a signal.

Step 2: Build a landing page. Use AI tools to create a simple page describing your app and collect email signups. Run some small ads ($50-100) to see if strangers are interested. No signups? Reconsider the idea or the positioning.

Step 3: Build the smallest testable version. Not a full app-just enough to let real users try the core feature. A waitlist management app doesn't need AI integrations and team features for v1. Build the waitlist part, get feedback, iterate.

Step 4: Get paying customers before scaling features. Someone paying $10/month is more validation than 1,000 people saying 'I'd definitely use that.' Money is the ultimate signal of value.

This process can happen in weeks with AI tools, not months. Fast iteration beats extensive planning.