# 🌱 Cheatsheet: Entrepreneurship and Side Hustle Mindset

By Better Wise

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One-page lookup for the whole course. Test cheap, talk to real people, let money and time tell you the truth.

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## Module 1: Validate Before You Build

### 1.1 Fast Idea Generation and Cheap Disqualification

**Generate wide, then kill fast.** Volume first, judgment second.

| Step | Move | Time box |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Diverge | List 10+ ideas from your own skills, pains, and tools you already use | 20 min |
| Cluster | Group by customer + problem | 10 min |
| Disqualify | Kill ideas that fail any red flag below | 15 min |
| Shortlist | Keep the 1-2 that survive | 5 min |

**Cheap disqualification red flags (kill on sight):**

| Red flag | Why it fails |
| --- | --- |
| You cannot name 5 real people with the problem | No reachable market |
| Needs a license, capital, or team before first sale | Too expensive to test |
| You would not use it yourself | Weak motivation to persist |
| "Everyone" is the customer | No specific buyer, no specific pain |
| Requires building before anyone pays | Not a cheap test |
| You cannot describe the pain in one sentence | Vague problem |

> **Tip:** 
> **If an idea cannot be tested this week for under a small budget, it is not disqualified, it is just too big to test yet. Shrink it.**

### 1.2 Customer Interviews Without Leading Questions

**Goal:** learn what they actually do, not what they think they would do.

| Bad (leading) | Good (behavioral) |
| --- | --- |
| "Would you buy X?" | "Walk me through the last time you faced this." |
| "Don't you hate when...?" | "What did you do about it?" |
| "How much would you pay?" | "What have you paid for this before?" |
| "Do you like this idea?" | "What have you tried already?" |

**Interview rules:**
- Ask about the past, not the future.
- Ask what they did, not what they would do.
- Shut up and let silence work.
- Never pitch. You are there to learn, not sell.
- Record verbatim quotes (with permission) for later.

**Signal to listen for:** they already spend money, time, or workarounds on the problem.