Is your idea brilliant, or are you just really into it?
Welcome back, future moguls! Last week we gave you the roadmap. This week? We're diving into the scariest question every entrepreneur faces: Is my idea actually good, or am I just in love with it?
Look, we've all been there. You're convinced your business idea is the next big thing. You've told your friends, your partner, maybe even your hairdresser. Everyone says "that's cool!" and you take that as validation. Plot twist: your people love you, not necessarily your business model.
So how do you figure out if your brilliant brainchild will actually make money, or if it's destined to be filed under "seemed like a good idea at 3 a.m."?
Enter the reality check (it's free and it won't hurt...much)
Here's the beautiful thing about Washington State's StartUP 365 resources: they've created an entire free academy to help you pressure-test your idea before you spend a single dollar. No intimidating business school professors. No boring textbooks. Just real entrepreneurs who've been where you are, sharing what actually works.
The first stop? The Ideation lesson. Think of it as therapy for your business idea.
For women entrepreneurs in Southwest Washington—whether you're in Vancouver, Longview, Camas, or rural communities throughout Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties—these free resources help you validate ideas without risking your savings or your sanity.
3 ways ideas actually happen
Forget the mythical "aha moment" where inspiration strikes while you're in the shower. According to StartUP 365's Guy Nelson, most business ideas come from three much more practical places:
The lightbulb refined
Someone already had your idea, but you can do it better, faster, or differently. Sara Blakely didn't invent pantyhose. She just cut the feet off and created Spanx. Sometimes the best ideas are simple improvements on things that already exist.
This approach works beautifully in Southwest Washington markets. Look around Vancouver, Longview, or the Portland-Vancouver metro area. What businesses exist but could be done better? What services do people complain about? Where's the gap between what customers want and what they're getting?
The Work Problem
You see inefficiency at your job and think, "I could fix this." Jim Bodden realized people hated having painters in their homes for a week, so he created Wow 1-Day Painting. Ten painters, one day, done. Brilliant.
What problems do you see in your workplace or industry? What frustrates customers in Southwest Washington? Those frustrations are business opportunities waiting for someone brave enough to solve them.
The deliberate hunt
You decide you want to start a business and then go looking for problems to solve. This is actually the most common path, and it's totally valid.
The key is researching what Southwest Washington actually needs. Talk to people at Clark County's farmers markets. Ask questions at Kelso/Longview business networking events. Survey your social media connections. Find the problems people are actively complaining about and willing to pay to solve.
The business model canvas (the anti-business-plan)
Now here's where it gets good. Traditional business plans? Forty pages of painful writing that ends up collecting dust on a shelf. Nobody wants that life.
Instead, StartUP 365 teaches you about the Business Model Canvas. It's essentially your entire business strategy condensed into one page. One. Page. Lindsay Andreotti breaks it down in a way that makes you feel like a strategic genius without the boring suit.
Why it's better than a traditional business plan
Actually readable (one page beats 40 pages every time)
Forces you to cut the fluff and get real
Easy to change when you need to pivot (because you will)
Focuses on customers, not just your product
People will actually give you feedback instead of nodding politely
Think of it like this: if a business plan is writing a novel, the Business Model Canvas is writing a really smart tweet thread. Same information, way more digestible.
The questions you need to answer (honestly)
Here's where the rubber meets the road. Your idea needs to pass some tests:
Does anyone actually want this?
Not "would people think it's cool," but "would people pay money for it?" Big difference.
Test this in Southwest Washington before spending money. Post in local Facebook groups. Ask at Greater Vancouver Chamber or Kelso/Longview Chamber events. Survey people at community events. The Vancouver-Portland metro area has diverse demographics—make sure your idea resonates with actual potential customers, not just your imagination.
Are people already searching for solutions?
Free tools like Google Trends can show you if people are actively looking for what you're offering. If nobody's searching, that's either brilliant innovation or a sign there's no market. (Usually the latter, sorry.)
Add "Vancouver WA" or "Southwest Washington" to your searches. Local search volume matters if you're building a regional business.
Who's your competition?
If you have competitors, that's actually good news. It means there's a market. If you have zero competitors, either you're a genius or you missed something.
Research competitors in Southwest Washington AND in Portland. The metro area is interconnected, and customers cross state lines for good businesses. What are competitors doing well? Where are they falling short? What could you do differently?
What's the real problem you're solving?
Can you explain it in one sentence without using buzzwords? If not, keep working.
"I help busy moms in Vancouver find reliable childcare" is better than "I'm disrupting the childcare ecosystem with an innovative platform."
Your mission this week: Test your idea
Stop talking about your idea and start testing it. Here's your homework:
Action Step 1: Take the Ideation Course
Head to mystartup365.com and take the Ideation course. It's free. It's actually interesting. Guy Nelson makes business concepts feel like a conversation, not a lecture.
Action Step 2: Complete the Business Model Canvas
Download the Business Model Canvas template and fill it out. Yes, the whole thing. Write it out. Cross stuff out. Rewrite it. This is where the magic happens.
Be specific about Southwest Washington. Who exactly are your customers? Where do they live? Where do they shop? What do they need?
Action Step 3: Talk to Five Potential Customers
Not your mom. Not your best friend. Actual humans who would pay for your product or service. Ask them about their problems, not about your solution (yet).
Find them at:
Longview business networking groups
Local Facebook groups and community forums
Farmers' markets and community gatherings
Action Step 4: Research your competition
Google your competitors. See what they're doing right and wrong. Take notes. Check their Google or Yelp reviews. What do customers love? What do they complain about?
Look at competitors in:
Vancouver and surrounding Clark County cities
Longview and Cowlitz County
Portland (because customers compare you to them)
Online competitors (because geography matters less every year)
If you get through all this and your idea still feels solid? Congratulations, you might actually have something here.
And if this process reveals some cracks? Even better. Better to know now than after you've quit your job and maxed out your credit cards.
Education makes validation easier
Do you need to invest in your business knowledge before diving in? Woman of Wonder scholarships exist for exactly this reason.
Understanding market research, customer validation, and business planning is the difference between winging it and actually knowing what you're doing. Whether you need a marketing class at Clark College, a business fundamentals course at Lower Columbia College, or want to connect with an entrepreneurship faculty member at WSU Vancouver about classes, education gives you the tools to validate ideas properly.
Woman of Wonder scholarships for business education
Woman of Wonder provides partial tuition scholarships for women in Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties pursuing education that supports entrepreneurial goals. We support:
Business administration and entrepreneurship courses
Marketing and market research classes
Business planning and strategy programs
Financial management and accounting
Any education from an accredited institution that strengthens your business foundation
Investing in your knowledge is investing in your business success. Check out our scholarship opportunities at womanofwonder.org/scholarships because the best entrepreneurs never stop learning.
Support women entrepreneurs in your community
When you donate to Woman of Wonder, you're funding the next generation of women business owners in Southwest Washington. Your tax-deductible contribution helps women access the education they need to turn validated ideas into successful businesses.
Support women entrepreneurs and invest in women building businesses throughout Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties.
Next Week: Making it official without having a panic attack
We're getting into the paperwork—LLCs, sole proprietorships, business licenses, and all that "official" stuff that sounds way more complicated than it actually is. We're breaking down business structures so you can make smart decisions without needing a law degree or an existential crisis.
Spoiler: choosing the wrong business structure can cost you thousands. Choosing the right one? That's what we call a power move.
See you next week. And seriously, do that homework. Future you will thank present you.
Part 2 of a 6-week series on business entrepreneurship
Stop talking about your idea and start testing it.
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com.
Education makes validation easier
“Feeling like you need to beef up your business knowledge before diving in? Woman of Wonder scholarships exist for exactly this reason. Whether you need an accounting class, a marketing course, or business fundamentals, education can be the difference between winging it and actually knowing what you’re doing. Check out our scholarship opportunities because investing in your knowledge is investing in your business.”
Resources for validating your business idea
Resources for Validating Your Business Idea
StartUP 365 - Ideation Course
Free training on testing and validating business ideas
mystartup365.com
Business Model Canvas Template
One-page strategic planning tool
Available through StartUP 365 courses
Google Trends
Research search volume for your business idea
trends.google.com/trends
Woman of Wonder Scholarships
Support for women pursuing business education in Southwest Washington
womanofwonder.org/scholarships
Woman of Wonder Donations
Help fund entrepreneurial education for women in SW Washington
womanofwonder.org/donate
About Woman of Wonder
We're a Southwest Washington nonprofit providing scholarships to women because education transforms lives. Need business education funding? Apply for a scholarship. Want to help fund the next generation of women entrepreneurs? Become a donor.
