STEP 2.2: A CASE STUDY
Gets Some Answers
Sam has his riskiest assumptions. Now it's time to talk to real freelance writers to see if his SaaS idea holds water.
The Challenge
To find 5-10 freelance writers and have a 15-minute chat to test if they would pay a monthly fee for a simple project management and invoicing tool.
The Action
Sam uses a recruiting post on Twitter and in a freelance writers' Slack community. He then holds several casual video calls, focusing on their current process.
Sam: "Walk me through what happens after you finish a writing project. How do you send the invoice?"
Emily (Writer): "Ugh, it's a mess. I have a Google Sheet to track my work, then I open up a Google Doc invoice template, fill it out, download it as a PDF, and then email it. It probably takes 10-15 minutes for each invoice."
Aha Moment: The pain is real. Emily's process is manual and time-consuming.
Sam: "If there was a simple tool that let you create an invoice from your project details in one click, would that be something you'd pay for?"
Emily: "Oh, absolutely. If it saved me even just an hour or two a month, I'd easily pay $10-$20 a month for it. My current spreadsheet system is so stressful."
Aha Moment: The "Willingness to Pay" and "All-in-One" assumptions are both validated. Emily wants a simple, integrated tool and is willing to subscribe.
The Outcome
After several conversations, Sam has a clear picture of his target user's pain points and what they value.
- Willingness to Pay: VALIDATED. Writers will pay a monthly fee for a tool that saves them time.
- All-in-One: VALIDATED. They prefer a single, simple tool over complex, separate systems.
- Simplicity: VALIDATED. Every writer emphasized wanting something "simple" and "easy to use."