Prompt Starters for Founders

Prompts for solo founders and early-stage teams.

[Live]

Overview

As a founder, you are responsible for everything — validation, positioning, building, growth, and competitive awareness. These prompts cover the full lifecycle of taking an idea from concept to customers. Copy them, replace the bracketed text with your details, and paste them into HolyShift.

Validation Prompts

Validate a new idea

Validate my SaaS idea for [market]. The product is [one-sentence description].
Target audience: [job title/role] at [company type/size].
I want to know if there is real demand, what the top objections would be,
and whether people would pay for this.

Identify top risks

Show me the top 3 risks for [product description]. I want to understand
what could prevent this from succeeding — market risks, competitive threats,
and potential objections from buyers.

Compare two ideas

I am deciding between two ideas:
1. [Idea A — one sentence]
2. [Idea B — one sentence]
Both target [market/audience]. Which has stronger demand signals
and lower risk? Show me the evidence.

Build Prompts

Create a landing page from validation

Build a landing page that speaks to [persona — e.g., "freelance designers
who hate manual invoicing"]. Use the demand signals and real user language
from my validation report. Lead with the [pain point] and position against
[competitor/alternative].

Optimize existing page copy

Review my landing page copy and suggest improvements based on my validation data.
Focus on the hero section headline, the primary CTA, and the objection-handling
sections. Use the language my market actually uses.

Grow Prompts

Find leads at competitor customers

Find leads at companies using [competitor]. I want to reach [job title]
at companies that are [size/industry]. Focus on companies that have
publicly reviewed or discussed [competitor] on G2, Capterra, or
Product Hunt.

Weekly market check-in

What changed in my market this week? Summarize the top signals from
my Intelligence dashboard. Focus on competitor moves, new entrants,
and any shifts in demand trends. What should I do about it?

Plan first outreach campaign

I have a verified lead list of [number] contacts. Help me plan my first
cold email campaign. I want 3 subject line variants to A/B test and
email body copy that leads with [pain point] and positions my product
as the solution. Keep it under 150 words.

FAQ

How specific should I be in the brackets? Very specific. "SaaS companies" is too broad. "B2B SaaS companies with 10-50 employees selling to marketing teams" gives HolyShift the context it needs to produce useful results.

Can I chain prompts together? Yes. Start with a validation prompt, then use the results to inform a build prompt, then use the page to inform a grow prompt. Each step builds on the previous one.

What if the results are not what I expected? Refine the prompt. Add more context about your product, be more specific about your audience, or ask a follow-up question that narrows the scope. The more context HolyShift has, the better the output.

What's Next

• For Marketers — Prompts focused on positioning and growth.
• For Product Managers — Prompts focused on market analysis.
• Your First Validation — Full tutorial if you are just getting started.