MPCM Validation Worksheet

Overview

Use this worksheet to validate a business idea before investing significant time, money, or engineering effort. It follows the Market-Product-Channel-Model structure and adds a self-scored readiness view at the end of each scored section.

Privacy caution: No data is stored. All calculations run only in your local browser session, and no data is sent or stored on the server side.

Business Overview

Stage

Quadrant 1: Market

Current score: 0/10

Quadrant 2: Product

Must-Have Features
Current score: 0/10

Quadrant 3: Channel

Acquisition Strategy: Organic
Acquisition Strategy: Paid
Acquisition Strategy: Direct
Have customers already been acquired?
Current score: 0/10

Quadrant 4: Model

Revenue Model
Current score: 0/10

The Four Critical Fits

1. Market-Product Fit

Question: Does the product solve a painful customer problem?

Current score: 0/10

2. Product-Channel Fit

Question: Can the product be efficiently distributed through the chosen channel?

Current score: 0/10

3. Channel-Model Fit

Question: Can the acquisition channel support profitable growth?

Current score: 0/10

4. Model-Market Fit

Question: Can this market support the desired company size?

Current score: 0/10

Founder Discovery Questions

Ask at least 10 customers.

Problem Validation

  • What is your biggest challenge related to this area?
  • How are you solving it today?
  • What frustrates you most?
  • How often does it occur?

Value Validation

  • If this problem disappeared tomorrow, what would it be worth?
  • How much time would this save?
  • How much money would this save?

Competitive Validation

  • What alternatives have you tried?
  • What did you like?
  • What did you dislike?

Pricing Validation

  • What would make this worth paying for?
  • How much would you realistically pay?
  • Who approves purchases?

MPCM Readiness Scorecard

Use the scores you selected above to estimate total readiness.

Total MPCM Score 0 / 80
Interpretation Idea is not validated
Area Score
Market0 / 10
Product0 / 10
Channel0 / 10
Model0 / 10
Market-Product Fit0 / 10
Product-Channel Fit0 / 10
Channel-Model Fit0 / 10
Model-Market Fit0 / 10

Interpretation Guide

  • 0-30: Idea is not validated. Focus on customer interviews and problem discovery.
  • 31-50: Early validation. Continue testing assumptions before scaling.
  • 51-65: Strong foundation. Begin investing in growth and acquisition.
  • 66-80: High confidence opportunity. Scaling investments are likely justified.

Final Decision

Choose the current decision

The Golden Rule

Never scale what has not yet achieved fit.

Validate Market, Product, Channel, and Model. Then validate the relationships: Market-Product, Product-Channel, Channel-Model, and Model-Market.

Only when all four fits are strong should significant growth investment begin.

┌────────────────────┬────────────────────┐
│ MARKET             │ PRODUCT            │
│                    │                    │
│ Customers          │ Value Proposition  │
│ Pain Points        │ Features           │
│ Alternatives       │ Differentiation    │
│ Market Size        │ Time-to-Value      │
└────────────────────┴────────────────────┘
┌────────────────────┬────────────────────┐
│ CHANNEL            │ MODEL              │
│                    │                    │
│ SEO                │ Pricing            │
│ Sales              │ Revenue Streams    │
│ Partnerships       │ Costs              │
│ Referrals          │ LTV/CAC            │
└────────────────────┴────────────────────┘

Market-Product Fit:  __ /10
Product-Channel Fit: __ /10
Channel-Model Fit:   __ /10
Model-Market Fit:    __ /10
Caution: No data is stored. Calculations are performed only in the local client browser, and no data is sent or stored on the server side.