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A throwaway Lovable prototype lets 5 interview subjects experience the SHAPE of your solution. The third validation pillar after the landing page.

The message templates that book 10 customer interviews. 3-message sequence, volume targets, research panel fallback. Part 2 of Chapter 2.3.

Where to find 10 people who actually have your validated problem. AI translates your hypothesis into an ICP map, you read where they post, you build a 30-name list from people you can name.

Chapter 2.2 of the From Idea to First Paying Customer course. A 90-minute companion pass: use Claude personas to sharpen the Mom Test question list you drafted in Ch 2.1 before booking real interviews.

Add a Stripe payment button to your smoke-test page. Measure whether strangers will pay, not just whether they're curious.

Five follow-up questions that catch AI theatre in 30 minutes. Hand them to your next agency discovery call. Score 0-5 in real time. Below 3 means walk.

When a $1 refundable Stripe charge is a stronger demand signal than an email signup. The pre-sale variant of the smoke test, with refund + FTC compliance notes.

The complete journey from idea to first paying customer at a glance: 5 modules, 20+ chapters, 6 artifacts, and the AI tools that accelerate each stage.

How to use VenturusAI, DimeADozen, and Preuve AI to stress-test your hypothesis before you book the first interview. Per-tool input prep, report reading guide, common mistakes, and a recommended workflow.

The fastest path through From Idea to First Paying Customer - 5 modules, core lessons only, for time-poor founders who need results tonight.