🔶 The $47 test that unlocked $250k: a validation masterclass

Read time: 5 minutes

Hey! Sam here 👋 I’ve spent the last 10+ years leading marketing and growth for early-stage tech startups, helping them scale from 0 to 8 figures. Each week, I share actionable insights to help founders and marketing leaders like you drive sustainable growth.

Last month, I witnessed a masterclass in product validation.

The result?

→ From a $47 product to $250k in less than 2 months

→ Without building anything new

→ By letting customers design the solution

Jesse Pujji and Andrew Warner launched a simple $47 sales playbook.

Nothing fancy - just their proven sales process documented.

376 people bought it.

Most founders would celebrate and move on.

But Andrew got curious.

Instead of building the next feature or planning a bigger launch, he did something unconventional: he asked buyers to put down a $100 deposit just to talk about what they should build next.

Yes, you read that right. He charged people to do customer research.

Not to sell.

Just to learn.

What they discovered changed everything.

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Dozens of buyers put down deposits.

The first calls were aimless - they didn't know what they wanted to buy, and Andrew didn't know what to sell.

But after years of interviewing founders, Andrew knew to look for pain.

Three clear patterns emerged:
❌ Lack of consistent leads (some weeks 4 leads, some 0)
❌ No repeatable process (good at sales, but winging it)
❌ Couldn't scale (wanted to build sales teams)

Then came the pricing evolution:
- First customer: "Would you pay $1,000?"
- Jesse pushed: "Raise the price!"
- Next calls: $2,000... people paid
- Jesse again: "Keep raising it!"
- Final price: $5,000 for 6 weeks

The result? $80k in pre-sales before they even had a program.

Here's the exact playbook they used (and how you can replicate it):

Start with a strategic micro-offer

This isn't about selling cheap. It's about solving one specific pain point perfectly.

I see founders make this mistake constantly:

❌ "Complete business course - $997"

❌ "All my marketing templates - $297"

❌ "Full startup playbook - $197"

Instead, think laser-focused:

✅ "The exact cold email sequence that booked us 100 sales calls"

✅ "5-part landing page template that converts at 32%"

✅ "Client onboarding checklist that cut our churn by 50%"

The key? Your offer should solve ONE problem so specifically that some people say "that's not for me."

The magic questions

Instead of pitching, ask:

• What problem were you trying to solve?

• What solutions have you tried before?

• What would make this 10x more valuable?

• What if we create [solution to their problem]?

The moment of truth

When someone shows interest, don't just note it.

Test it immediately: "Can I charge your card right now?"

When Andrew heard “If you can build that, I’ll pay for that right now”, he didn't just take notes.

He tested commitment with:

"Ok. Can I charge your card using our Stripe account on this call?"

No fancy pitch. No elaborate proposal. Just a simple test of real demand.

The result? $80k in pre-sales for their B2B Sales Accelerator.

But here's the fascinating part - they didn't design this program.

Their customers did.

Your complete validation checklist

Before building your next big thing, answer:

1. Know your audience first

   • Who exactly are you serving?

   • What stage are they in? (startup, scale-up, enterprise)

   • What are their current priorities?

   • Where do they currently struggle?

   • What solutions are they using now?

2. Design your micro-offer

   • What ONE urgent problem can you solve?

   • Is it specific enough that some people say "not for me"?

   • Can they see results quickly?

   • Does it show clear expertise?

   • Is it easily consumable?

3. Set up your customer research

   • How will you track conversations?

   • What patterns are you looking for?

   • How will you document pain points?

   • Where will you record price sensitivity?

   • What exact questions will you ask?

4. Your interview questions

   • What problem were you trying to solve?

   • What solutions have you tried before?

   • What would make this 10x more valuable?

   • What if we create [solution to their problem]?

   • Listen for: "I'll pay for that right now"

5. Validation process

   • Have a way to take payment immediately

   • Track who says yes vs who pays

   • Document exact language used

   • Note common objections

   • Record price points mentioned

Remember:

• Interest isn't validation

• Excitement isn't validation

• Only payment is validation

Want this checklist as a Notion template? Reply to this email and I'll send it to you.

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways I can help you:

• Follow me on LinkedIn for content like this during the week.

• Work with me 1:1 to uncover your growth levers and build a defensible growth engine to scale your business to $10MM ARR. Let’s chat.

  If you're a founder who’s reached $1M-$5M ARR and now wants to scale.

• Need help running ads? We’ve built an ads agency for early-stage startups that handles customer research, creatives, and media buying. Let’s chat.

Until next time 👋

Sam

PS. I’m here to help YOU grow. What’s the one thing you’re struggling with in your business that you’d like advice on?