M2 — Validation Worksheet
Six pages. Print it, copy it into Notion, or work straight off the screen. The point is you fill it in — no one validates a market in their head.
Page 1 — Interview tracker
A 20-row table you fill in as you book and complete calls.
| # | Name | Role / Company | Source | Booked date | Done? | Signal score (0-5) | One-line takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||||
| 2 | |||||||
| 3 | |||||||
| ... | |||||||
| 20 |
You book 20. You expect to do 15. Signal score: 0 = polite noise, 5 = they tried to pay you mid-call.
Page 2 — Pre-interview prep (1 page)
Fill before each batch of calls.
- What I'm testing this week: ___
- 3 hypotheses I'm trying to break (not confirm): 1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___
- The "lethal answer" — what would I hear that would kill the idea? ___
- My objection bank (from prompt 4): ___
Page 3 — Your customised 12-question script
The Mom Test–derived base script. Customise per ICP using prompt 1.
- Walk me through the last time you faced [problem area].
- What did you do about it?
- What did that cost you — time, money, sanity?
- What did you try before that?
- Why didn't that work?
- Who else have you spoken to about this?
- If you had a magic wand, what would the fix look like?
- What would have to be true for you to pay for that?
- Who in your life has this problem worse than you do?
- [silence — let them keep talking]
- Can I come back to you in two weeks with what I'm building?
- Anyone else I should talk to?
Watch for: any answer that names a tool they've already paid for, any number (hours, dollars, frequency), any verbatim phrase that makes you wince because it's so specific.
Page 4 — Per-interview synthesis (use 1 per call)
Fill within 30 minutes of the call ending. Memory decays fast.
- Name / company / date: ___
- Pull signal score (0-5): ___
- Verbatim pain phrases (3-5 quotes):
- Workarounds they're already paying for (and how much):
- Willingness-to-pay signals (price, cadence, budget owner):
- Disconfirming evidence — what did they say that hurts my thesis?
- Follow-up I committed to:
Page 5 — Pattern matrix (after 15 interviews)
Three ICP candidates × 5 dimensions. Numbers and notes, not opinions.
| ICP segment | Pain intensity (1-5) | Pain frequency (1-5) | Current spend on workaround | Willingness to pay | Accessibility (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A — | |||||
| B — | |||||
| C — |
Top row = your strongest segment. If no row is clearly above the others, that's a result too — your data says pivot, not go.
Page 6 — Verdict one-pager
Write this for someone who's never heard of your idea. One page, no jargon.
- Idea (one sentence): ___
- Verdict: ☐ Go ☐ Pivot ☐ Kill
- The evidence (3 strongest pulls from the 15): ___
- The disconfirming evidence (the 2 things that almost killed it): ___
- If go: who is the first 1 customer I go and close in M3-M8, by name? ___
- If pivot: what's the new shape, and what 5 new interviews do I owe before M3? ___
- If kill: what did I learn that I take into the next idea, and when do I start it? ___
Sign and date it. Send it to one person who will actually push back.