1# The $100 Experiment That Changed Everything

✅ Kickoff

Welcome to The Starterpreneur — where we turn big entrepreneurial dreams into small, actionable steps.

I'm here to cut through the noise and give you real strategies, honest insights, and practical tools you can use to build something meaningful. No fluff, no overnight success stories, just the kind of advice I wish I had when I was starting out.

This week, I'm sharing the story of a simple $100 test that completely shifted how I think about validation — plus a mindset hack that'll save you months of spinning your wheels. Ready to dive in?

🎯 The Core: The $100 Validation Experiment

Last month, I watched an entrepreneur spend six months building a productivity app that nobody wanted. Sound familiar?

Here's what he should have done instead: the $100 Validation Experiment.

The concept is brutally simple. Before you build anything, spend exactly $100 to test if people actually want what you're thinking of creating. Not $1,000. Not $10,000. Just $100.

Here's how it works:

Step 1: Create a simple landing page ($20 for a domain, $10/month for basic hosting) Write compelling copy that describes your solution. Include a "Get Early Access" or "Pre-Order" button that leads to a payment form.

Step 2: Drive targeted traffic ($70 on Facebook or Google ads) Run ads to your exact target audience. Track clicks, email signups, and most importantly — how many people actually try to buy.

Step 3: Measure real demand If people are clicking "buy" and entering payment info (even if you refund them immediately with an explanation), you've got validation. If not, you've saved yourself months of wasted effort.

I've seen this simple test save entrepreneurs from building products nobody wants, while revealing golden opportunities they never considered. One founder discovered his audience cared more about the reporting feature than the main product — and pivoted to build a $50K/month analytics tool instead.

The magic isn't in the money you spend. It's in getting real market feedback before you're emotionally (and financially) invested in the wrong solution.

💡 Weekly Spark:

Mindset Hack: "Strong Opinions, Loosely Held" — This game-changing concept from venture capitalist Paul Saffo means being confident enough in your ideas to take action, but flexible enough to pivot when the data says you're wrong. Most entrepreneurs fall into two traps: weak opinions tightly held (unsure but stubborn) or strong opinions tightly held (confident but inflexible). The sweet spot? Have the conviction to start, but the wisdom to adapt based on real feedback.

Business Startup Idea: "Micro-SaaS for Local Businesses" — Build simple, single-feature software tools for specific local business niches. Think: appointment scheduling for dog groomers, inventory tracking for small bakeries, or customer follow-up automation for auto repair shops. These businesses pay $50-200/month for solutions that solve one problem really well. Start by interviewing 5 local businesses in one niche to understand their biggest daily frustration.

Tool of the Week: Typeform — Perfect for creating those validation surveys and feedback forms mentioned in your $100 experiment. The free plan lets you create beautiful, conversational forms that actually get completed (unlike boring Google Forms). Use it to survey potential customers, collect pre-orders, or gather feedback on your business ideas.

Book Bonus: "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries dives deeper into the Build-Measure-Learn cycle that ties all these concepts together.

🔨 Build Momentum: Your 48-Hour Challenge

Here's your action step for this week: Pick one business idea you've been considering and run a micro-validation test in the next 48 hours.

You don't need $100 or a landing page. Start smaller:

• Post about your idea on social media and see who engages

• Create a simple Google Form and ask 10 people in your target market if they'd pay for this solution

• Check if similar products exist and read their reviews to understand what people actually want

The goal isn't perfection — it's momentum. Spend 2 hours max, then move forward based on what you learn.

📣 Creator's Corner

Before you go, I wanted to share something personal: The Starterpreneur exists because I believe entrepreneurship shouldn't be a privilege reserved for those with huge networks or trust funds. It's for anyone willing to start small, learn fast, and build something meaningful.

If you found today's issue valuable, the best way to support The Starterpreneur is to forward it to one entrepreneur friend who could use these insights. Word-of-mouth is how we grow this community.

Got questions about validation, business ideas, or entrepreneurship in general? Just hit reply — I read every email and often turn your questions into future newsletter topics.

Keep building,

Basat Hussain

P.S. Next week, I'm sharing the "90-Day Revenue Sprint" — a step-by-step framework for going from idea to first dollar in 90 days or less. It's based on studying 50+ successful startups and identifying the patterns that actually work.