LEVIATIVE • FREE STARTER RESOURCES
Test your business idea.
Before you spend on it.
Starting your first business in India? Use this free checklist to narrow your idea, speak to potential buyers and work out the costs. Then choose the guide that fits your next step.
No payment or sign-up needed. Save this page and work through it at your own pace.
Your “test before you invest” checklist
Write the answers in your notes. An unclear answer is a question to investigate, not a reason to buy more tools.
- Name one specific buyer. Replace “everyone” with a group you can reach, such as neighbourhood home bakers who take orders on WhatsApp.
- Describe one real problem. What goes wrong, how often, and what does it cost them in time or money? Ask what happened the last time—not whether they “like your idea”.
- Speak to five potential buyers. Ask how they solve it today, what they have tried and what remains frustrating. Five conversations are a starting point, not proof of market demand.
- Make the smallest useful sample. Create one sample product, one template or a short service demo. Show the result and a clear proposed price. You do not need a large stock order to learn whether the offer makes sense.
- Look for a real next step. A request for a quote, a booked trial or a purchase carries more weight than a compliment. If taking payment, be clear about what exists, when you will deliver and the refund terms.
- Write down the full cost. Include materials, packaging, delivery, payment fees, returns, promotion and your time. For digital products, include creation, platform and customer-support costs.
- Choose a small test and a spending limit. For example, offer three paid pilot slots at a stated price and review the response after seven days. This is an example test, not a sales benchmark. Decide in advance what would make you continue, change the offer or stop.
A simple example: a home baker's order tracker
Instead of creating “a planner for everyone”, speak to home bakers who miss delivery dates or payment follow-ups. Make a sample spreadsheet with order date, customer, delivery slot, amount paid and balance due.
Let a baker try it with a few sample orders. Ask where they get stuck. Then offer a clearly priced setup service or template and see whether anyone wants to buy it. Improve the sample using the feedback before building ten more features.
The lesson: start with the buyer's task, demonstrate one useful result, and test willingness to pay.
₹600 sales does not mean ₹200 profit
If you buy a product for ₹400 and sell it for ₹600, you have ₹200 left before other costs.
Illustrative example: ₹600 selling price − ₹400 product − ₹20 packaging − ₹60 shipping − ₹15 payment costs − ₹50 advertising = ₹55 left, before returns, overheads and any applicable taxes. These are example costs, not provider rates.
For a first test, estimate costs conservatively. Replace every estimate with an actual figure as you learn.
Choose your next step
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Do one thing today
Choose a buyer, write one problem they face and arrange your first conversation. Send this page to a friend who is also planning a business and compare what you learn.
Free checklist: leviative.com/pages/start-here