You have a business idea, a rough price and several people saying it sounds useful. Before spending heavily on branding or equipment, write down what those conversations actually established.
A one-page evidence log gives you a place to separate facts, assumptions and unanswered questions. It will not prove a business will succeed. It can help you choose a smaller, better-informed next step.
Define the decision you need to make
Avoid a broad question such as “Is this a good business?” Choose a decision with a clear boundary: should you test a weekend service, approach a different customer group or revise the offer?
Then write one specific assumption. For an illustrative photo-organizing service, it might be: “Adults managing a large family photo collection want help sorting duplicates and creating a usable archive.”
The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends investigating demand, competing options, customer location and pricing when assessing a market. Use those questions as background, rather than treating an appealing idea as evidence of demand. Read the SBA’s market-research guidance.
Give the log five simple fields
For each assumption, record:
- The claim you want to check.
- The source and date of the evidence.
- What you observed or heard.
- What remains uncertain or contradicts the claim.
- The next check you will make.
For the photo service, “three friends liked the name” belongs in the log as feedback on the name. It does not establish that anyone needs the service or will purchase it.
Keep exact customer comments distinct from your interpretation. A short, accurate note is more useful than a confident conclusion built from memory.
Ask about a recent real situation
Invite potential customers to describe the last time they faced the problem. How did they handle it? What took effort? Did they use a paid service, free software or help from someone they knew?
Follow up on specifics without turning the conversation into a pitch. For the photo example, ask what happened when they tried to find a particular image. Do not assume that a large collection causes frustration.
Australia’s business.gov.au recommends researching customers’ needs and behavior and, where possible, including customers, competitors’ customers and people who have bought from neither. That broader mix can help you avoid hearing only from supportive acquaintances. See its customer-research guidance.
Compare the alternatives people actually use
Your notes may reveal that the main alternative is doing nothing. Record that alongside commercial services, because a new offer must give someone a reason to change their current approach.
For each alternative, note the job it handles, its visible price and the date checked. Write “unknown” where pricing or service scope is unclear. Avoid treating a public review or a busy-looking website as proof of a competitor’s sales.
Choose a bounded next experiment
After reviewing the log, decide what evidence is still missing. You might show a sample output, ask people to choose between two service scopes or invite an explicitly non-binding expression of interest.
State the test’s time limit and maximum cost before starting. If you offer a paid pilot, make sure you can deliver the promised scope and check the rules that apply in your location before taking payment.
At the end, write a decision: continue testing, revise the customer or offer, or pause. Keep the contrary evidence visible. The value of the log is that it records why you made that decision and what could change your mind.