5 Quick Tips from The Mom Test

1. Don’t ask if your idea is good. Ask about the person’s life.
2. Avoid compliments and vague answers. Push for specifics.
3. Talk less about your solution, listen more about their problems.
4. Look for evidence of real behavior, not just opinions.
5. A good conversation should end with a clear next step.

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is asking the wrong questions when testing their startup ideas. Rob Fitzpatrick, in his book The Mom Test, explains how most entrepreneurs fall into the trap of asking for compliments instead of truth. If you ask your mom whether your idea is good, she’ll probably say yes just to be supportive. But the same thing happens with friends, colleagues, and even strangers, that people want to be nice, not honest.

Fitzpatrick’s advice is simple: stop asking if your idea is good. Instead, ask about people’s lives, habits, and problems. Don’t talk about your solution, just dig into their experiences. For example, instead of saying “Would you use an app that tracks your workouts?” you should ask “How do you currently track your workouts?” That way, you’ll get real insight into what people actually do, not polite opinions.

He also emphasizes that you need to avoid fishing for validation. When you hear “That sounds cool” or “I’d probably use it,” it feels good, but it’s useless. What you want is specific, concrete information about what people already do, what problems frustrate them, and whether they’ve tried to solve those problems before.

Another key point is to focus on commitments and actions. If someone says they like your idea, ask them to pre-order, sign up, or introduce you to a colleague. If they aren’t willing to take a small step, their words don’t mean much. As Fitzpatrick puts it, “The measure of usefulness of an early customer conversation is whether it leads to a clear next step.”

The book isn’t just about avoiding bad feedback, it’s about learning how to uncover the truth that actually moves your startup forward. By asking smarter questions, you’ll save time, money, and energy building things nobody wants.

So the real test isn’t whether your mom thinks your idea is good. The real test is whether you can have honest conversations that reveal if your idea solves a real problem.

Cited from: Rob Fitzpatrick, “The Mom Test”