Most founders make the same mistake: they spend months (or even years) building in silence hoping customers will show up once the product is ready.

Joel Gascoigne, the founder of Buffer, chose a smarter path.

He had a simple idea: what if people could schedule their social media posts?

Instead of hiring developers or building a full platform, Joel ran an experiment.

He created a two-page website:

Page 1: explained the idea.

Page 2: a “Plans & Pricing” button.

But here’s the twist there was no product. Clicking that button only showed a message:

“You caught us before we’re ready.”

This experiment cost him just $60 (domain + hosting). Within weeks, people were clicking through to the pricing page and signing up for updates.

That tiny test gave Joel the confidence he needed: people actually wanted his solution.

And it worked. Today, Buffer is used by millions of users and generates tens of millions in annual revenue.

The Lesson ? Don’t build first and pray customers will come.

Validate demand before you invest your time, money, and energy.

To help you do the same, I put together a new guide:

10 Proven Methods to Validate a Startup Idea in 2025

It breaks down the Buffer story and 9 other practical ways you can test your idea without wasting months building something nobody wants.

👉 Read it here: [10 Proven Methods to Validate a Startup Idea in 2025]

That’s it for this story.

Keep learning, keep building because even the smallest idea can turn into something big.

Talk soon,

Sweekar Koirala

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